HA! Open Your Heart
by axl753
Summary: It's been a few years since Arnold has returned from his journeys with his parents, but Arnold has yet to fully reconnect with Helga and the city life. While his first years at High School weren't as great as he'd hoped Arnold now sets out to mend the friendship he once had with Helga, and discover why her usual bullying has become bitter aggression.
1. The flip of a coin

"Here's to you" Arnold said, raising his glass of soda to the sky. "It's been a long year, and you've certainly made me feel it. Between the anger, the public humiliation and the long hot nights we've had, you've certainly left a mark on me" As he stopped for a second, realizing that people around him were confused at his random speech, he lowered his glass, took a sip and continued his thought. 'But despite all that, I've stuck with you and found that after all this time I knew we would last. We were always meant to. You give me what I need, even if sometimes I don't think I needed it…So once again. Here's to you, Fruit Smart'. Arnold was a pretty average 16 year old, he went to school, he had a job and he would spend a vast amount of him time with friends. He lived with grandparents in the Sunset arms complex, which his grandparents ran, while his parents spent most of their year in the Jungles of San Lorenzo. His two most notable traits, apart from his kind heart were his height of only 5'6 and his inclination to wear hats, especially the one his parents bought him as a child.

His eyes flashed to the only sign of the store he could see. Its large print almost sparkled beneath the sun's harsh rays. Arnold knew that he wouldn't get to enjoy his break for much longer, though his beaten body craved sometime in the shade. He should've had 15 minutes to sit, but the customers zooming by kept him from relaxing and instead made him worry that it was going to be a busy day. Today thankfully though, he wouldn't be forced to push carts under the blazing summer sky. Instead he was to open and pile all the sugar he could at the front end of the store, making it look nice and neat for customers to come and grab. The only problem was like a mom who just finished cleaning the dishes; it was only a matter of time before his nice pyramid would be devastated by the force of many customers.

It was about 10 minutes into his break when he finally drank the last bit of his soda and headed back inside, succumbing to his own fear at the mess that lay inside. He threw his bottle into the nearest trash can, shook his long blond hair and slowly crept around the corner peaking at the remains of the pyramid. He took a deep breath, adjusted his shirt and headed towards the mess only to notice one of his coworkers, Leo instead fixing up the mess with a cart full of sugar bags.

"What do we have here?" Arnold questioned, sounding half pleased by the sight.

"Don't get too happy kiddo." Leo scoffed. "I'm just here to clean this place up while you enjoy the next ten minutes of your break"

Arnold checked his watch, confirming that he had started his break ten minutes ago. "But I only have five minutes left?"

Leo turned Arnold with an evil grin "Oh really'? I'm SURE you started it five minutes ago, now go and enjoy the rest of your break bucko. And remember you owe me one" Arnold just stood there, with a massive smirk on his face listening as his zany friend once again proved how helpful he could be on a day like this.

"One day you'll forget your wallet…and when you do…Ohhhhh Boy" he threatened "be prepared to be spoiled with free food Leo. Be warned my friend. Be warned. mwahaha" Arnold taunted, as if some sort of villain of a Saturday morning cartoon.

Leo just shook his head and motioned for Arnold to go away. Arnold, headed across the store, going for the one place he knew he could enjoy even a single fleeting moment of cool air and peace; the freezer. He rushed through the store, dashing through the empty isles to avoid customers who would deny him his break. He did enjoy helping people out, but luck was against him this week and he didn't want to spend the next ten minutes translating for those who barely spoke English or searching or anything that couldn't simply be answered with a "check over here" or something to that effect. After a quick rush, Arnold found himself in the back room and was able to embrace the powerful gust that came from the cooler. He simply stood with arms out as his whole body was rejuvenated.

"Thank goodness" he said aloud.

"Enjoying the north pole I see Arnold" a familiar voice joked.

"You have no idea Sid." He replied to his black haired, long nosed friend. He still remained focused on the cool air, not needing to open his eyes to confirm who it was behind him.

"You know, with your Eugene luck when this thing explodes you'll get a spear like pole right through your chest." Sid noted, taking a step away from Arnold as if he was worried it would happen then and there.

Arnold shook his head and let his arms fall to his sides. "Dude. It's NOT going to break"

"You aren't back here man" Sid warned. "Listening to it raddle and scream out in pain. It's dying man. And when it blows, this whole place goes with it"

"You're overreacting Sid, it's just some noises. Yes this thing is old but Marko isn't so crazy as to deny these thing necessary repairs and updates…usually"

Sid had, on occasion come up with weird ideas about this place. Arnold like most of the people at the store put up with it, not only because sometimes it was funny how weird Sid was thinking but also because Arnold wouldn't have gotten hired if it weren't for Sid's influence on the managers. It was nice to have a buddy like Sid, though they didn't always hang out they still remained friends over the years. Sid had some trouble making new friends in high school, as some of his conspiracies had made him appear more infamous at Hillwood High.

Another person appeared, though Arnold still had his eyes shut and only heard the coming footsteps. "Okay that's enough man" The person moved in front of Arnold and slammed the massive door to the freezer. "I'm going to get in trouble if this thing is open for no reason"

"Oh come on Donald Duck, don't deny me the breeze" Arnold whined over dramatically. Although he didn't appear like the animated duck, Donald was in fact his name and because of how he slurred, Donald was forced to bare the annoying nickname. Like Sid and Arnold, he too was wearing the store's uniform, his hair was short like Sid's but blond like Arnold's.

"Oh poor darling" Donald said sarcastically. "I don't want to get yelled at for the door being open, plus I got to deal with idiot customers outside while you're enjoying your break. Like right now I've got little miss drunk housewife out there trying to figure out the difference between Vanilla and French Vanilla, now I'd like to enjoy my break…any chance you can handle it?"

Arnold blinked a few times, pondering the issue this lady had Arnold blinked a few times, pondering the issue this lady had, realizing this would give him some more time in the cooler area of the store while still attending the store as a clerk. "Absolutely!" Arnold said, saluting his friends as he triumphantly. It wasn't much but he counted this as a victory. "See you characters later!" Arnold shouted as he rushed through the doors, looking for a certain customer. After a quick peek around the corners of the frozen section, he finally saw her at the end. He rushed up, dodging a small kid and finally making it towards the middle aged blond woman with glasses. "I knew it" Arnold said under his breath. "Hello Mrs. Pataki! Can I help you with anything?"

"Hmm? Oh Arnie? Arnie! how are you!" she replied, almost unsure if it was actually him. Mrs. Pataki, unlike her Husband Bob Pataki had kept herself in good shape over the past few years. Despite her age, she looked as if she was still a woman in her forties. While her looks were still there, her mind was as usual not around.

"Oh, I'm doing fine thanks." He shook his head a few times, feeling a little awkward at the fact she didn't quite remember him. His mind sort of trailed off though, he did enjoy seeing her there and wanted to prove he was a good worker but he was hoping she wasn't alone. "My co-worker said you needed some help?"

"Oh No…No. I mean, Well…Hmm" she mumbled, still sounding quiet confused.

"Whatever you need I can do for you" Arnold replied, trying to get some eye contact with her as she looked off into the freezer.

"Oh it's fine dear, I just can't seem to remember" she said weighing the ice cream in her hands as she spoke "which one I like more…that and my little helper seems to have disappeared on me."

Arnold couldn't help but wonder what to think about that last part. She was probably here, but he couldn't confirm it just yet, he knew he'd have to lay out a trap for her to make sure. All he needed to do was make an assumption and he could confirm it. "Well I'm sorry but I can't tell you what you like, but I prefer French Vanilla. Did Mr. Pataki disappear on you or something? I can find him if you want" Arnold said, massaging his neck in nervousness.

"No he's at a convention this weekend, it's actually Helga who came with me today, but she dashed off without telling me where she was going" Miriam said, her eyes still focused on the two flavours.

"Don't worry Mrs. Pataki, I'll find her." Arnold said, bouncing once again on his feet as he zoomed away.

"Oh! Okay…Uh. Good to see you again Arnie!" Miriam shouted as Arnold simply waved.

The crowds were getting harsh at the store, it seemed like this weekend's sales were going to leave the store bare before the night was done, but Arnold couldn't care about that right now. He had a few short minutes left and he had someone to go see. It was a mix of fear and excitement, as by herself she could be almost fun to talk to, but with a group this same girl Arnold was looking for could be the devil incarnate. He passed through the massive complex, almost 20 isles and all with a calming sky blue painted over each wall and aisle frame. As he passing the soda aisle, Arnold eventually noticed a familiar figure rummaging through a skid of soda, looking for something. Arnold caught his breath, walked over slowly and tried to figure out what to say to the bent over female in front of him.

"Do you intend to stare all day, or are you going to help me out?!" The annoyed girl questioned, no longer focused on the pop but still turned away from Arnold's face. As Arnold stuttered, trying to form some sort of word she finally stood herself up and peered over her shoulder at the awkward worker. She was a fairly tall girl, wearing a pink T-shirt and ripped baggy jeans. She was extremely slender, and had pale white skin that almost glowed when next to her radiant blond hair. Her most notable figure was a dark haired unibrow that formed across her head which when squeezed down on made her brow look like a menacing letter v. As she studied him, she began snorting and giggling, eventually covering her mouth with her hand to pretend she was hiding her laughter knowing it would further annoy him. "Oh my god! Football head! For a second I actually thought you were some sort of professional worker" She joked.

"I AM a store employee Helga. And I DID intend to help you, I was just catching my breath is all" Arnold replied.

"you sure about that squirt? You look more like a kid in a costume then anything. That thing barely even fits you" she remarked, pointing out the oversized shirt, which fell well below his waist and hung from his arms.

"It's just a spare, I'd rather look tiny in this thing then bad in a dirty shirt" Arnold argued.

"Whatever Kiddo. Do you mind telling me why you and your store decided to hide my favourite kind of Yahoo soda under the crappy diet? I don't exactly see a bunch of old people craving the diet stuff, so you're denying me and the good tasted folks of this neighborhood our cherry flavoured drinks" Helga remarked, poking her finger out at him.

He adjusted his hat and took a deep breath. "I didn't do it on purpose Helga, I promise I'll fix it when I can. We just brought this skid out a little while ago, it hasn't been changed yet to make it's flavours side by side, it was just shipped to us with one flavour on top and the other on the bottom." She crossed her arms, and let out a fake yawn. "Confusing? Yes. But that's how it is." He replied.

She raised her brow at him. "So you're lazy"

"No, I'm on break."

"Not much of a break if you're here with me don't you think?"

Arnold put his hands on his hips, she wasn't making it easy for him…but then again she never did. "I didn't say that. Is it wrong for me to see a friendly face and want to chat on my break?"

"No, but it's wrong for you to think of me as a friendly face dork." She said, pushing her finger into his chest. "Listen, you see tall hair boy; you can talk to him. You see little miss perfect; you can talk to her. But If I'm stuck in this damn store, with my damn mom who forced me to come by and shop with her, I'd rather spend my time away from morons like you, who thank god I don't have to see this summer"

Arnold was floored. He raised his hands defensively, stood back and admitted defeat with a sigh. "I'm sorry to be such a bother. I'll leave you be then" Arnold said apologetically.

"Yeah Honey" A female voice whispered in Arnold's ear. "She'd rather have a man to hang out with then a flat chested girl like you." Her hands crept up on Arnold's chest, feeling his breasts and squeezing tight. Arnold let out a small "Oww" and threw the hands off of him.

"Get off me!" he yelled as he turned to face his opponent. While Helga made it clear that she didn't want to see Arnold, it was clear to Arnold that he didn't want to see this person during his summer either. It was Terra, a menace to the high school and something of a partner in crime to Helga. She was wearing her hair a new way this week, with a red streak down her jet black hair on one side, while on the other her hair was shaved mostly away, with only tiny hairs covering the skin. She was wearing three piercings in the ear he could see. Her eyes were covered with makeup and mascara and as usual her lips were painted a dark shade of red. "Ever heard of boundaries Terra?" he snarled.

"Ever heard of push up bras Arnolda?" Terra mocked. After a brief staring contest, Terra turned to see her friend Helga and smiled. "Hey hot stuff, you look good enough to eat in those pants" She said.

"Thanks Terra, but I'm good enough without being eaten thank you." Helga replied, still staring down at Arnold. She continued to give him an aggressive look as Terra came up and snuggled into Helga's shoulder. In that brief second Helga became distracted and looked down to her friend, who was making her quiet uncomfortable, but that was something Terra was known for even with her friends. Helga tapped Terra's back a few times, giving what she'd hope was a signal for her friend to let go.

"Oh I intend to eat you yet darling, if you know what I mean….Let's just get away from this freak and talk about tonight shall we?" Arnold could hear Terra say. She grabbed Helga's hand and forcibly removed her from the aisle, Helga turned for a second to meet Arnold's eyes and almost looked sad as she was distanced from him. Almost.

His attempts at enjoying his break were destroyed in a single moment, and Arnold was left wondering when luck would get back on his side. He took out one of the coins he collected from his pocket, a benefit he had from working on buggies; and flipped in the air. He silently called heads as it spun in the air, but as luck would have it, he missed grabbing it and it rolled away. All Arnold could do was sigh and walk away, hoping that the rest of his shift would be better as the crowds started to die out.


	2. A quarter's worth

Hello, this is my first fanfiction I've actually posted and I apologize for my grammatical errors in advance I will try and work on them as this goes on. This story will introduce several original characters most of which are just there to help move the plot along, and give the feel of change between this story and the original Hey Arnold! television show. Some of them will evolve and go on with the cast, others will be mentioned in passing.

I hope you enjoy this very cliche romantic story about Arnold and Helga, I'll try to keep this update as fast and best as possible. Thank you for reading.

* * *

"You know I actually wanted to buy some of that" Helga said, struggling to stop her friend from moving her further and further from the soda aisle.

"Oh please. Girls drink soda, women…" she began. "Drink tequila" Helga rolled her eyes, Terra simply pretended to shake a bottle.

"Oh yeah… because I REALLY want to spend my time acting stupid and then forgetting about it the next morning" Helga replied in annoyance.

"C'mon hottie, don't you want to party it up with us tonight. I'm sure we can find you a real man, or if no one steps up to the plate maybe I could be your man tonight" Terra playful growled, her fingers walking up Helga's arm.

Helga simply stood there puzzled, not only because she couldn't tell how much truth were in Terra's words, but also because she wondered what men would even want to hang out with a group as rowdy as them. "Hehehe…that's fine Terra" she stuttered.

"Okay, Okay…let's go find your mom, I'm sure we can convince her to party it up with us tonight. Maybe she'll let me make her a smoothie" Terra said, tugging Helga further away from the soda aisle and the boy who actually did want to hang out with her.

As Terra let out an onslaught of ideas for the night ahead, Helga's thought instead lied within. She wondered why Arnold even still bothered to try and talk to her, even when so much had distanced them over the years. The first boy to be nice to her, and the only one who put up with her constant bullying when in primary school; Arnold was important to Helga. She pretended to hate him because she was too young to understand her feelings for him, but that didn't matter…he tried to be her friend despite how mean she seemed. During middle school Arnold left for San Lorenzo to stay with his parents, leaving Helga and her feelings for him here In Hillwood. Without someone like him to cheer her up, she went into a depression and now took out her anger on the world, even after his return two years ago. It was during the last semester of middle school, right before his return that Helga confronted Terra and her crew, who were mocking Helga's only friend Phoebe at the time. In a heated argument between Terra and Helga the two found more in common than they thought and discussions on the stupidity of the student body lead to the two becoming friends, in loose terms. The only problem with the friendship was that as time went on, and Helga fell further into a depression; Terra's wilder side got the better of Helga who no longer pretended to act like a bully, and instead started to enjoy what was then the only thing that made her happy. Now that Arnold had returned, Helga's thoughts became conflicted as to who she wanted to be…

'_Oh Arnold…Why do you try so damn hard_?' Helga thought. '_It would just be simpler to leave this lost cause alone, and let your mind wander onto better things…even if it means falling back in love with that prefect busty bimbo Lila, ugh what am I saying! Lila's even nice to me…I see no reason he wouldn't fall for her'_ After searching for a few minutes the duo found Miriam, dazed and confused now on what kind of noodles to get. It had become very apparent to anyone who saw her that Miriam's drinking problem had accelerated.

"Hey there Mrs. P!" Terra shouted cheerfully, waving to the older woman "Enjoying the wonders of the store?" It was clear she was being sarcastic, but it was lost on poor Miriam.

"Oh Terra dear, it's so nice to see you. How's your band coming along?" Miriam replied.

"Oh we broke up about a month ago, turns out that mixed gender bands don't work out so well. I swear I told you" She did in fact, but once again Miriam's mind was not in the best of frames.

"Oh that's a shame" Miriam sighed. "You know I used to be in a band when I was your age."

A smirk formed across Terra's checks, she turned quickly to Helga who was as confused as her before looking back to Miriam. "Oh really? What did you play?"

"I was a…what do you call it…a dancer! Yeah. I attracted the fans!"

"Oh My Mrs. P, way to get your thing on" Terra playfully raised her hand for Miriam to high five, which she did.

"Miriam!" Helga screamed. "Do you really have to remind us of your stupid choices in life?"

"Oh Helga, I swear it wasn't stupid. I was a great dancer" Miriam replied as she began moving to her own beat.

"My Mrs. P, you've got some moves. You know, if you let me and girls come over tonight, I'm sure you could show us all you've got" Terra remarked.

Miriam was ecstatic. "Oh that would be wonderful. We could really use some music in the house don't you think Helga?"

"Oh I'm sure mom." Helga said, trying to hide her embarrassment behind a stone face. If anything, Helga would prefer to spend the night to herself listening to music but just like most weeks, if Helga hadn't made plans Terra would try to make plans for her. There was a part of her that enjoyed the idea of being part of something, but the punk crowd that Terra had formed was not anywhere near what Helga wanted to do during her summer off.

"Great! Let's get some shopping done shall we?" Terra said playfully.

While Terra asked about Miriam's life as a groupie, which she probably didn't care about; Helga's mind wandered off again playing back her meeting with Arnold. She thought about what she could've said; asking him for help with the soda, or even asking about the job Helga desperately needed. Even the way she said hello was wrong, but still Helga was lost in the character she had created to hide her feelings. The feelings she was raised to think were weak and pathetic.

'_Was he…actually staring at me_?' Helga thought. '_I don't even have a good figure; I'm just skin and bones_.'

Although she weighed nothing, unlike her sister Helga was unable to really gain any curves in her figure. Her body only sprang upward over the years, not gaining much femininity physically apart from a set of breasts, but even they weren't enough to catch the attention of any boys though she thought… none would actually want to look at her anyways.

As Helga suddenly envisioned Arnold looking at her sexually, the group suddenly turned a corner and after a brief second, Terra hid behind Miriam. "Oh boy. Okay So…I have to Uh…gather the horde…So I'll let you ladies continue your shopping and I'll text you later okay Hun?" Terra rushed to say, slowly moving away while doing so.

After a quick look around Helga noticed the store's manager was in this aisle and realized that Terra had probably been caught stealing again and wasn't allowed in the store. Who knew what sort of stuff Terra did when left to her own devices, but stories would form wherever she went.

"I'm going to go look for some cherry soda okay Miriam?" Helga asked.

"Mmm? Oh sure Honey." Miriam said, barely noticing her daughter as she continued shopping. It was almost as if she was in another world herself.

Helga headed back over to the soda aisle, looking around to see if her football headed love was anywhere but alas he had gone. She checked her watch; it was forty five minutes into the hour, meaning his shift couldn't be over yet. Still, for her to go searching for him without a reason seemed pathetic and so she simply made do and continued to scavenge the skid for her beloved drink. Although she'd never admit it, Helga had asked Miriam to come with her shopping hoping to see Arnold here, that and because of her lack of money Helga could only get what she wanted from the market when she went with her mom. In recent years however, with the help of her friend Phoebe Helga had used the internet to hide her identity and post her poetry online, often winning her some money to get her by. If Helga wanted anything big like a laptop though, she'd have to get a job and fast, summer was half over and the job market for 17 year olds wasn't getting any better.

Elsewhere Arnold continued working on the sugar pyramid that Leo had kept steady while Arnold enjoyed his break. The two were often paired with each other, despite Leo being older; as the bromance of the store. Leo had been working at the store for many years, but had to make ends meet so he simply kept working at the store as a full time employee.

"But you don't get it. The original has such a better story to tell." Arnold insisted.

"But the graphics are terrible, leave it the Americans to really beef up the movie's effects" Leo replied.

"You're crazy, the necklace is a fantastic Japanese horror film and putting in that silly Betty the Dracula hunter as the main character was a stupid casting decision!" Arnold argued.

Leo waved his finger in front of Arnold, trying to get him to quiet down. "She's totally hotter than that broad from Japan, she was way too…squeaky. Whereas Betty was totally rocking the bloody clothed look all movie"

Arnold massaged his temple. "You mean Sasha, the actresses name is Sasha"

"Whatever dude. To me she'll always be the Dracula hunter"

"Whatever are you boys talking about?" a cheerful voice asked. Arnold turned to see the beautiful Lila Sawyer standing there, hands full of fliers with a puzzled look on her face. Her hair was long and flowing down to her breasts, and her eyelashes fluttered repeatedly, hiding her emerald eyes. Her skin was just as pale as Helga's, but where Helga's bruises and bumps were instead were tiny freckles that popped up all around her body.

"Lila! Hi. We're just…discussing…remakes…and stuff…" Arnold stuttered.

"Oh my, International cinema is ever so wonderful. The work of Europe tends to be ever so much more artistic then the studios in Hollywood." Lila replied.

"But darling, not everyone wants to see an artistic masterpiece. For instance… I watch Tarantulaman because I want to see him kick the ass of the Reptile, not because I want to see how the director can turn Paul Porters life into a soup opera-" Leo said.

"-But some people do want to see that though! The character development, the fundamental attributes of the character? That means so much to the fans" Arnold interrupted frustrated over his friend's words.

"Oh dear. It appears you boys have quiet the dilemma on your hands…" Lila stated, putting the fliers in their bins for the public to grab. "The movie isn't exactly to my taste, but it would be ever so rude of me to comment on a movie no little about…It does seem almost too violent to be some form of modern epic"

"You cannot be on her side Arnie. Don't you wanna watch the two guys duke it out on screen?" Leo asked, signalling Arnold to back him up.

"I…I don't know what to say. You both have…valid…points…" He massaged the back of neck, knowing he didn't want to offend either party. "I don't really want to take a side on this."

"Oh Arnold sometimes you're too cute to be real" Lila giggled. "I must get back to the cashiers, enjoy your argument boys…please don't hurt each other"

As Arnold watched Lila walk away Leo instead was watching Arnold shaking his head in distaste of Arnold's obvious feelings for Lila. "You my friend…Are dumb" Leo stated, still shaking his head as he returned to stacking sugar.

"Oh no, don't put this back on the table." Arnold replied. "She's pretty I'll give you that but I've learned over the years that an innocent girl who doesn't seem to understand dating or how to deal with mature stuff isn't exactly what I want in a girl."

"And what is it you DO want then?"

"Honestly?" Arnold replied, even questioning it himself. "Someone who is just as good of a time while making out at the movies, as they are sitting under the stars talking all night…I spent my entire childhood chasing after what I thought were perfect girls…I never paid much attention to the real ones"

"Talking?" Leo questioned.

"Talking." Arnold confirmed.

"So dumb Arnold. So Dumb" Leo repeated, shaking his head again.

But honestly Arnold didn't know what he wanted, he had never really explored romance after his adventures in San Lorenzo. Though he had often wondered about the few brief feelings he had for girls before he left, and even about the girls who seemed to give him looks now that he was in high school, romance was never able to catch Arnold, even with his best friend Gerald pestering him about it constantly. The teenage girls of North American society were as wild and strange as the green eyed people of San Lorenzo, or the Hillwood myths and stories he heard as a kid. They were unreal.

'_Maybe_.' He thought, doubting himself. '_Maybe returning wasn't such a good idea after all_.'

After being home schooled, as loosely as possible during his time in San Lorenzo Arnold was forced back to get a high school education by his parents. Things had changed though, Gerald had become something of a character at their school and Helga had gone from school bully to a full antisocial with her group of punks and misfits. Friends had moved away people had changed and going from a wild paradise filled with kind people who barely understood him, to the concrete jungle that was a school where everyone and everything could be a threat to your daily life was…quiet the change. Girls like Rhoda Lloyd who became the queen of the school, while others like Helga tried to escape the fiasco that was popularity. Arnold tried to find an honest middle ground, just trying to live in between the lines of the society formed at school.

At the cashier line Helga and her mother were waiting patiently as Lila walked by. With her cheery smile and a bounce in her step, Lila walked by the vast crowds seeming to not notice Helga, though that was for the better. "Crimney…she just had to be working today too" Helga growled under her breath. To make matters worse however, Lila replaced the cashier working meaning within moments Helga would be forced into a conversation with her. In hopes of preventing this from happening, Helga walked back through the closest aisle to disappear until her mother was through the line. As Helga looked around at items she honestly didn't care about she suddenly slipped. Quickly her hand grabbed the nearest shelf and caught herself before falling, but she still had managed to make a scene. "Dammit. Does no one clean this place either?" Helga shouted as she adjusted her footing. Looking down she noticed a small quarter under her foot, heads up staring back at her. "Oh yippy a free coin" She said. "It must be my lucky day"


	3. Soul Music

So this'll be the last of the chapters I have ready up to this point, I wanted to upload them all at once in case anyone wanted to sort of see this thing start you know? In this chapter we're reintroduced to Gerald who apart from the look people tend to give him for "The Patakis" The planned spinoff of Hey Arnold! hasn't changed much when talking to his friend. Helga mentions her cliche today too, but we won't see them for a bit but they all play their parts in this story.

* * *

Arnold headed through the store back to the entrance, mentally preparing himself for the image he was about to witness. '_Okay it's going to be bad, I just need to get out of the store as soon as I can, and hope that someone else fixes it up. I can't help it if customers are buying them faster then I stacked them_' he thought. As he turned the corner of the last aisle, his jaw dropped. The pyramid of sugar was finally looking pretty solid and he could leave at ease. The occasional customer did come by and grab a bag or two, but it was nowhere near the level of damage that was done to Arnold's "masterpiece" earlier. With a sigh of relief and a quick wipe of sweat of his brow, the hard working teen had accepted his freedom from the bounds of work.

"You know, I'd a shame if something happened to that pile my friend" A voice lurked in Arnold's ear.

He shook his head. "Your right, but honestly It's not my problem anymore and I'll be damned if I let Marko ream me out for it later. I did my part; plain and simple and I'm leaving knowing it looks descent." Arnold replied. He didn't need to even turn to face Donald, whose voice was too unique to hide his identity.

"Alright, alright" Donald replied. "What are you up to tonight? Or are you going to continue that movie marathon?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Right now I gotta run to the mall before it closes, yourself?"

"You know me. The god of parties commands me to bless the people with an event for the ages" he replied, snapping both set of fingers and pointing in Arnold's direction like a greaser of the fifties.

Arnold snorted. "The GOD of parties?"

"I am his blessed warrior…" Donald began as he slowly made his way out through the doors. "His Prodigal son, the hope of a generation! The light in the darkness!..."

And as quickly as appeared, one of the characters of the store disappeared into the sunny land of freedom that lay in front of Arnold. After making sure to hear every last word of Donald, Arnold headed outside the front doors, took off his blue work t shirt placed in his backpack alongside any other work related gear he had and took out his Music player. It was one of the best feelings he could have, leaving the store knowing he did a full day of work and getting to relax to some music while walking. As he left he took a quick look over to the bus stop, ignoring the tunes playing in his head to consider an alternative path. 'I know I brought some change for the bus, but I don't really think I need to waste it like this. A walk will do me good, and I could really use some alone time with my music' He thought to himself, walking away from the store without a sound.

His hair banged from side to side as he walked, sometimes covering bits of his eyes though he wasn't completely paying attention to it. His long hair almost touched his shoulders but wasn't exactly long enough to turn into a ponytail, or at least not a decent one he thought. The music that played now was something jazzy, a powerful mix of instruments that strung together a mood that forced its way into Arnold's head. As the powerful beat that started from a single bass to the entire fleet of players, Arnold's walk began to change, his hands moved at his side to the beat while he occasionally snapped his fingers with the tempo. He imagined himself as something between a conductor and a singer, flailing his arms to each section of the band as he danced in his head. He couldn't help himself it was just a happy and extraordinary tune that couldn't be kept within the bounds of his tiny music player. The character in his head wore a fedora and a matching suit that he thought he looked quite "dashing" in. He ran across the room commanding each of the players to move along with him as the first section of the music came to a climax.

As the second verse picked up however a dreadful thing occurred. In the middle of the beat Arnold suddenly froze in the midst of the sidewalk, confusing bystanders just enough for them to look his way, but not enough to stop them and ask what was wrong. Arnold's eyes opened wide and a look of disappointment broke in, as he realized why he brought money for the bus; his music player was out of juice. With a deep sigh and an adjustment of his hair, Arnold started walking again keeping his ear plugs as if nothing had changed. It wasn't exactly because he was embarrassed but knowing that he could almost hide himself within the protective casing of those ear plugs made him feel better. He would just keep walking, listening to the cars going by and the random civilians while the people simply assumed he was minding his own business. Though hearing it in his head made it sound creepy, it wasn't meant to be like that, Arnold simply wanted to be left alone. It was difficult for him to readjust to society the way it was, where the city was not a massive community where you could say hello and give a helping hand but instead everyone wanted to be left alone.

Before he knew it he reached the mall and in good time as well, the stores would still be open for another half hour or so, giving him enough time to get what he needed. With it being summer, he did have all the time in the world to go shopping but it wasn't the stores themselves he was interested in. Just as he walked through the parking lot, he noticed the bus he could've taken pulling in and glared at it as if it should be afraid of him. "Don't mock me like that" Arnold said under his breath, his eyes burning with hate.

As he entered the mall, feeling the gust of air conditioning hit his face he took a quick look around seeing that despite it being on the verge of closing for the evening, more people were still coming into the mall as oppose to leaving. He made his way up the escalators and took off his ear plugs while peaking inside the store; Entertainment World. It was time for a surprise visit, Arnold thought.

* * *

Elsewhere in a very hot car Helga and her mother tried to adjust their bodies to the burning seats and belts that uncomfortably kept them in place. The seatbelt itself felt like it was melting Helga's shoulder but she wouldn't let her mom know that. Even on full blast the AC wasn't working fast enough for the two silent women.

"I don't know why Bob thought it was a good idea to buy a black car." Helga growled.

"Your father thought it would look nice at night, he put a lot of money into this thing" Miriam replied.

"Oh Please. Like he really puts money into anything…" She turned away from her mother, now peering out the window. "…Other than Olga that is"

Miriam looked over to her daughter for a brief second, giving her a look of disappointment. "Your dad only gives Olga money on her birthday, besides she needs it if she intends to keep working so far from home"

"Yeah whatever" Helga huffed. It had been a few months since Olga had even contacted the Pataki household, which was odd for her. She had moved from place to place in hopes of making it into broadway, but never seemed to stick in one place for too long. Then again, her decision to stick to one field of interest never seemed to stick either.

"So, what should I make for the girls? Spaghetti…Fish…Lasagna…what exactly does Terra's friends like to eat?" Miriam asked enthusiastically.

"Miriam you barely know how to cook half of that, and I don't think the group wants dinner…" Helga sighed, remembering that she was having friends over.

"I'm sure we can find something for the gang to eat. You must have more faith in me" Miriam claimed.

"Yeah…Okay there."

"What are their names again? Terra…uhh…that quiet girl…and then the three boys…one of them starts with an U or an X?"

"Terra, Darren, Sheen, Lita and HIS NAME is Vesper" Helga listed.

It was clear in Helga's mind that this wasn't what she wanted. People so close to her house, so close to her private things. Terra had barely made it inside the Pataki house a time or two, and without Helga's dad to forbid anyone from going upstairs, everything she worked on; her poetry, her letters from Arnold and even the stuff in her closet would all be at the fingertips of Terra. Helga had still owned a secret stash of Arnold stuff she loosely referred to as her 'shrine' to him. Since his departure and return from San Lorenzo though, it wasn't nearly as extravagant as when she was a child. Either way, she couldn't let the gang come over, she had to do something. "Doi!" Helga yelled as she smacked her head.

"What's wrong?" Miriam asked, slowing the car down.

"I completely forgot I have to go see Phoebe's stupid Violin thing tonight. I can't have the girls come over…" But that wasn't true in the slightest.

Miriam moaned in disappointment. "Aw what a shame…Oh well I guess I'll just…what were we going to do tonight?"

"Dance Miriam"

"Oh right. Dancing…I'll dance tonight while you aren't home"

"That's WONDERFUL Miriam, I'm GLAD to have that image in my head now" She said while shaking her head trying to get the painful image out.

* * *

Back at the mall Arnold entered the store and looked at its entirety, barely able to make out who was who in the massive crowds. Though it was hard to see people through the crowds, it couldn't hide that black hair style of Arnold's intended target behind the average person. Arnold smiled and began to make his way through the people towards the barely working employee. He was adding CDs while singing with the the song playing over the radio in the store but Arnold was unfamiliar with the beat. As Arnold finally got past the last few people, his dark skinned friend turned and started to serenade Arnold with his singing, pressing one hand to his chest and stretching his arm out to Arnold.

"_Are we human….Or are we dancer?_…." The teenage boy sang to Arnold.

"I don't think that's an accurate battle there Gerald" Arnold replied.

"I know" Gerald nodded. "But some musical GENIUS thought that it was a great set of lyrics to his music and here I am working in a place with stuff I love, forced to not only bare the weird songs of our generation but also finding myself singing along because the lyrics have been forced down my throat every time I come in!"

"Oh it can't be that bad. At least you don't have market music playing in the background of your work. It's almost like elevator music, but like…constant throughout the day" Arnold replied massaging his temple with a terrified look in his eyes at his work related memories.

"Oh man that is bad. But I'm conflicted…because just between you and me…"Gerald said, tilting his head in towards Arnold to whisper "I want to like my job but some of these people make it hard…I mean some kid today told me that Rachael White and Jacob Deider could form a band that would beat out The Spyders…THE SPYDERS!" he half shouted. Some people turned their heads but Gerald pretended not to notice.

Arnold let out a tiny chuckle, gazing around the room at the people until they stopped looking. "Chill man, I know what you mean. At least I don't care about the stuff I'm working with. I may not like when an old lady prefers one thing to another, but it doesn't offend me when my favourite chocolate milk isn't what she buys…"

"Speaking of, how was the oven today?" he said, referring to Arnold's usual outdoor work "You feeling extra crispy?"

"Not exactly, they sent the new guy outside when he came in at Twelve…so I spent my day inside mostly. Though the walk here wasn't as good as I'd hope. My hair is all wet and gunky"

"But the look is great on you" Gerald snorted "Remember as long as you want me to keep this old hairstyle of mine, you have to keep growing out your hair"

Arnold groaned. "I don't think that's fair man. Whatever you sport looks good on you…even that damn Goatee of yours. If I keep growing my hair out I'll look like some metal head."

"We'll see. Speaking of music, to ensure my continued stay at this store I need to look as If I am a good employee." Gerald said in an eccentric tone. Gerald adjusted his footing and cleared his throat "Kind sir…what can I do for you today at this fine establishment?"

"Oh I see how it is…I'm just here to check if the soundtrack to Tarantulaman is out yet. Some of the music in that really fit the mood of the film and I wouldn't mind having that for walking music. That or one of the bands who played the credit's theme really had a good style and I wanted to look at what they had."

Gerald put his hand on Arnold's shoulder, with a fake look of concern on his face. "I'm so sorry Arnold but…the CDs…they flew off the shelf. We couldn't stop them…" But Arnold wasn't too impressed, he patted Gerald's hand on his shoulder, as a sign he wanted it removed. "we weren't expecting much of a fuss over them so we only ordered a small amount. If you want I'll check when they're coming in."

"I appreciate it man, I'm going to go browsing okay?"

"Yeah no problem." Gerald said as he started to walk away. "Oh and hey, I saw Eugene today. He's looking good after his fall on stage a few weeks ago. It's one of this place's charms…running into people like that you know?"

"Yeah really lucky…Man have I got a story for you by the way." Arnold hastily replied.

"Give me…twenty-ish minutes bud and we'll catch a bus together."

* * *

I apologize if this style of writing isn't to the liking of whoever is reading this, I just find the script-esk format of individual lines for each character better for pacing.

Alot of music was put into this, and like the last chapter we've also got a few inserts of parody. For instance the Spyders is a terrible reference to the Beatles, because they both sound like insects? get it. Tarantulaman is a reference to Spiderman, and the two people mentioned are also references to two singers if you can figure them out, however regardless of who or what I parody remember this is supposed to be from the viewpoint of the characters.

Arnold mentions a song playing during the credits of Tarantulaman, a reference to the song "Zero Game" By Spyair, a Japanese band who made a great song for the credits.

The song "Human" By the Killers is not a parody, because it would be very hard for anyone to read whatever lyrics I put into this story and hear it the same way I intend it, so any instance of heard song I will not be parodying.

Which means that the song Arnold was listening to while dancing is also a real song.

The song is called "TANK" By the Seatbelts, it is the theme song to the phenomenal anime Cowboy Bebop. To me it's the perfect walking music, especially for a jazz loving teen like Arnold.

Thanks for reading, see you again soon.

Next up Arnold and Helga find themselves away from friends and family and get a one on one, how will it turn out?


	4. The crossing field

So now that we've gotten a bit of an introduction any good story needs to move forward right? The story of Helga and Arnold is pretty big, and within the confines of a cartoon we can see as much as the censors allow which is of course understandable right? However now with the characters out of the television box and into the minds of people like myself, combined with the fact the characters are older...we'll see things aren't as child friendly. As such be warned of language and a bit of mature themes in this chapter, though I assure you nothing more then hints and discussion. Also as my first upload onto here I am still trying to figure out the system, so be warned that spacing is something I'm working on. Speaking of, anything that isn't verbal in this story I'm going to write **in bold**.

* * *

As the sun began to disappear into the horizon, Helga's room darkened. But her mind wasn't focused on the room itself, if anything she preferred to be in the dark with only her computer screen's glare around masquerading as a source of light. She took a deep breath, looked up to the ceiling and embraced the noise that was flooding her ears. Her massive headphones covered both sides of her, forcing her to put her hair down just to listen to the music. As the singer let out his first few words, Helga's feet began to move with the beat.

"_Come with me…into the trees…we'll lay on the grass, and let hours pass…" _she heard.

As the singer continued, Helga spun to the music. Letting her arms move as if separate from her body. For just a few sweet moments, away from her parents and the rest of the world she was free to act as she pleased. She didn't need to confine herself beneath her mask, or clothes for that matter. She was wearing nothing but a pair of underwear and a tank top; all that she needed to feel comfy within her room. To her it was all the freedom she needed to think. As her room became a stage, Helga moved freely to the rhythm of the band imagining her own world to go along with the tune. This was her escape, not through partying or drinking or any means that would harm her…just a simple set of instruments whose sound blinded her from the harshness of the real world.

Miriam was downstairs, preparing some sort of a roast while trying to sing to her own music, though her singing could be misinterpreted as screeching by Helga. The house was quiet, without Bob Pataki around there were no TVs on and no chores to be done. It was a boring day for the females of the household; Bob was out of town at a convention trying to sell his new line of camping equipment. Things in the household seemed to never change: Miriam would get drunk, do something stupid, fight with bob and get drunk again while Helga lived her life as if she didn't have parents to answer to. It was only when Olga was heard from that Bob and Miriam seemed to show interest in each other, but after a few days that would fade away and the three beats of idiocy, anger and eventual sadness would fill the house with it's less then sweet music again.

As the instruments stopped playing, Helga fell to her bed and finally started to breath. She took off her headphones and stood upward, crossing her legs and placing her headphones on her shoulders. It was time for her to write the dreaded message on her cellphone, and thanks to the music clearing her head she now had the strength to do it. With Miriam's "issues" Helga could easily fool her into believing much, but Terra was a completely separate matter. She knew if she mentioned Phoebe in her lie then that would come back to haunt her, as Terra was already mean enough to the girl. There was only one excuse that came to Helga's mind, but it was a fragile one at that. She adjusted her cellphone and began typing: **I've got a Job interview….Gotta cancel tonight**. Knowing Terra, if Helga had named where she was having her fake interview, Terra would either show up to root for Helga, or worse go back later to damage the place when Helga further lied about not getting the job.

After hitting the send button Helga threw her phone against her pillows and took a deep and calming breath. She would have a few minutes of silence before Terra would respond, giving her enough time to clean herself up and head out again. She was in no mood to write and wouldn't be able to watch TV by herself with her mom around, it was Miriam's loose term for bonding. Although she dreaded it, all that remained clean enough to wear were those same jeans she wore before. It was once her sister's, passed down to her so that her parents weren't forced to by Helga a new wardrobe when she started to grow. . She put her bra back on and replaced her spaghetti strapped shirt with a less revealing pink t shirt which like the pants were much tighter then Helga would've hoped. Helga wondered why she still even had clothes like these, but without a job she couldn't buy what she wanted. She grabbed her phone, checking to see that Terra still hadn't responded and put it in her pocket.

Her hair was back in two long ponytails, which she placed under one of her dad's old baseball caps. It was her hope to keep people distracted from her once again forming unibrow. It was the only real place weird hair was growing on her body, but it still hurt Helga to look in the mirror. It was a signature trait of her dad's side, but luckily for Olga, she never inherited the unibrow. At her desk looking into the mirror Helga wondered what people really thought of her physical appearance. It was an awkward situation, no matter how hard she tried, or how little she tried Helga never seemed to be glanced at. Would she really be attractive if she looked more feminine or would her persona as the school's bully be irreversible?

"Oh old girl…" Helga said softly "What are you going to do with yourself"

After a quick moment of thought, Helga shook her head and made her way downstairs. Her mother's eyes were attached to the Television and inattentive to the smell coming from the kitchen. It didn't take long for Helga to realize what was wrong. "Crimney Miriam! Did you forget about your food!?".

"Oh what's that dear? Circle of Wealth is on. It's a good episode" Miriam said, her eyes still fixed on the Television.

"Mom! Dinner!" Helga shouted as she turned off the oven and checked the damage.

"Oh? OH! OH NO!" She had finally gotten it. Miriam rushed into the kitchen as Helga pulled out the darkened roast. The girls didn't need to open it up to tell that it wouldn't be worth trying to eat. Helga mumbled under her breath as Miriam watched, unsure of what to do. Helga put the burnt food onto the counter and started washing its plate which had bits of the roast and it's spices melted onto it. "I…Okay…Right…" Miriam said to herself, awkwardly moving back into the comfortable chair while her daughter continued to clean the mess.

"If you're done destroying the house, I'm going to go to Phoebe's." Helga stated.

"Oh…Okay. Don't stay out too late." Miriam replied, not even looking at Helga. She was clearly embarrassed, not knowing how to handle her screw up.

"Oh I wouldn't DREAM of that. Don't wait up…" Helga growled as she stomped through the living room and out the door.

* * *

At Sunset Arms apartment, Arnold returns to his room after having a long shower. His eyes turn to the mirror, where he tries to flex in an attempt to look macho. Despite his attempts no muscle could be seen and instead his lanky arms just look silly in the reflection. He checks over his body, trying to see any differences or problems. His shoulders were burnt from being outside but his face remained clear thanks to his work hat. A quick curious sniff of his armpits reveal he smelt cleaner. After putting on a pair of boxers and pants he checks his phone, revealing a message from Leo.

"**Hey man Just wanted to warn you. Marko Is looking for some more goons to work tomorrow, be warned he may call you, don't answer your phone if you can help it.**"

Arnold smirked and sent a reply **Thank You** to his co-worker, as he was in no mood to go to work tomorrow. He jumps on his bed and looks at the photos on the wall, some of his friends and others of his parents, who he hasn't seen in some time. Arnold spent three years with his parents before returning to go to high school and in that time he'd done more than most at his age. From helping animals to participating in native festivities it was quiet the journey, but the insistence of his parents was what helped push him back to America, where his grandparents and friends were. "Do I really want to put on a shirt?" Arnold asked himself. "Not exactly anything going on tonight…Oh wait!"

In a sudden realization he headed over to his desk and pulls out a new set of batteries for his mp3 player, which failed him earlier in the day. Arnold shook his gripped mp3 player back and forth while looking out to the darkening world and wonders if maybe a nice walk is what he needs. Supper was filling but he'd need to eat again and there wasn't a whole lot around the house, so a long walk downtown would fill most of his time. After much arguing with himself Arnold finally puts a shirt back on and headed downstairs, dodging the random animals that lived in the apartment complex.

"Hey Oskar, can you tell my grandparents I'm going out for a bit?" He asked his neighbor.

Oskar however was more focused on the lounge television, which was playing the newest episode of Circle of Wealth was on and like usual the men of the apartment were betting spare change on the program's answers. Oskar simply raised his hand and gave Arnold a thumb up the closest thing to a confirmation he was going to get. Looking around him, no pets were barging to get out giving Arnold a quick escape outdoors. He headed through the doors, closing it quickly before the creatures flung in his direction; he was free. Now outside Arnold adjusted his own cap and put on his ear phones, while the player continued where the song ended earlier in the day.

The night was beautiful, the air was blowing a nice wind across Arnold's face and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. It must have dropped in heat, as it almost felt like an autumn day all that was missing was the leaves in the wind. As Arnold continued his journey the music shifted from smooth jazz to rock and roll and back again. His taste in music was wide and apart from most of the current music, he could listen to about anything if he was in the mood. Almost an hour later somewhere downtown Arnold struggled to find a calling for his appetite. His eyes judged each of the places he passes, even if they weren't restaurants. The lights were starting to glow now and the people around him changed. It was definitely a Saturday night, crowds were forming, sports cars were flying by and the children had all disappeared indoors. It was like a completely different place.

Waiting to cross the street Arnold took a quick peak across the road to see an annoyed Helga trying to hide within the crowds. His eyes widen, confirming it to be her. It was his chance to get to talk to her, and he wasn't about to let her get away. The light changes and before he should Arnold rushed across the street, getting in the way of a car trying to turn. "Sorry, sorry!" He plead as he rushes across. Helga had almost disappeared behind a gang of female shoppers but the chase was not over yet. Arnold bolted for it, his feet tearing across terrain while he dodges the hordes of people walking against him. His eyes remain fixed on target, on that tall blond hair of Helga's that bounced with her every pace. As he made his way closer he lets out a shout. "Hey! Helga!" He cried. "Helga…HELGA!" But still she is doesn't hear him. "Helgaaaaaaaaaaaaa"

After a few moments of shouting her ears finally caught the sound of her name being called and turned to find the source. '_Oh no'_ she thought to herself. Fearing it might be one of her gang. Her cover was blown.

"Wait! Helga!" He continued to shout.

Finally she turned, seeing the out of breath teenager whose face was covered in hair. Confused she studied the boy, who tries to catch his breath and adjust his footing. "What the heck are you doing here?" She asked. Her heart started to flutter, he was once again trying to talk to her.

"I…Phew…I Saw…you and I…Just wanted to say Hi" he stuttered.

"You ran all this way to say Hi?" She scoffed.

He bent himself back upward, trying to look like he wasn't nearly as out of breath as he was. "No…Not exactly…well…maybe"

Helga started to rub the side of her face as her eyes rolled. "Do you not remember what I said about not wanting to see you?"

"I know…I'm sorry…" he began "I should've helped you when you needed it. Just because I'm on break doesn't mean I should…you know…ignore a customer in need"

'_Does he mean it'_, she thought. Was he actually apologizing for trying to enjoy his break? The care in Arnold seemed to not have bounds, at least when it meant for Helga. "Yeah well, maybe you'll react faster next time instead of arguing with a customer. Who is always right…" Even with the thoughts in her head, she had to remain true to the mask she was wearing. She couldn't let him in. Not now.

"Well, if you come by again I'll make sure to pay attention to you." He smiled "But Uh…What are you…up to?"

Helga started to look around, worried that although she was downtown, people she knew would recognize the two of them together. "Just doing my own thing, wanted to get away from the house is all…and when I say my own thing I mean me enjoying myself by myself"

Arnold looked confused, it was clear she was hiding but he didn't understand from who. "Oh I see…I'm the same. Just walking around"

She finally looked back into his eyes. "Sounds boring"

A small smile formed on his face, along with a chuckle. "It's relaxing don't you think?"

"Yeah, uh No" she barked. "Not with the terrible drivers of this city zooming around. This place can be a disaster area sometimes" She focused then on the other side of the street, she didn't want to catch sight of his beautiful eyes.

He raised his brow and turned to look at wherever she was looking. "Then why'd you come down here Helga? Why not go see your friends?"

When he turned back, he noticed her starting to walk away. "Not your concern Football head. I'd rather get away for now"

Arnold rushed over to walk at her side, but there wasn't enough room so he was forced to walk behind her through the crowds. "Get away from them, or away from everyone?"

"…what's the difference?"

"Well I mean…we could walk together?"

"You think I want to walk with you?" but she did.

"Well you said this place can be scary I could you know…watch out for you?"

"Please…if anything I'll be watching your ass."

For even the briefest moment Arnold found himself staring at her behind, but quickly shook his head and got his mind away from that place. "I think I could handle myself…"

"Yeah right…I could take you down in two minutes flat" she said as Arnold finally started to walk alongside her.

"Two minutes? I'm sure I can last longer than that" Arnold stated over confidently.

She chuckled and turned to look him in the eye. "Oh I'm SURE you tell ALL the girls that" Then he started to chuckle alongside her, and for a second the two were actually looking like they were enjoying themselves. Helga however realized this and stopped dead in her tracks…

'_shit'_.

* * *

So this is an interesting "concept" I guess you could say, but because I sorta prefer the idea of an episodic storytelling this is what I'd consider the first of a few two part chapters, with the second part continuing but with a different focus. This part focuses more on struggle the two have of trying to talk with one another without trying to slip into topics, especially considering their past and the fact that they're both teenagers.

The song used in this part is _Stripped_ by Depeche Mode, however I will admit that I didn't know that at first, I knew it originally by Rammstein but I doubt that would be the version Helga listens to. The song makes me think of her honestly, the idea of being "stripped" down to the bone to the bareness of the person is something that she struggles with, which is why she enjoys the song. I'm not one for saying "oh that song was meant JUST for me" but this is a song that resembles some of what Helga has always dealt with.

So what is going on next? Helga and Arnold go out on a pseudo-date in chapter five of Open Your Heart.


	5. Stand

So part two of our Helga and Arnold chapter deals with the two doing something other then talking...No not that get your mind out of the gutter. This is basically where the story started for me, I was listening to yet another song that made think about romance and I felt that doing a scene with Helga and Arnold would be nice, especially considering I hadn't done any serious writing for a long time. In order for me to show it to others (aka friends and family) I'd have to introduce them to the characters, to get a feel why this scene was important to me. So I wrote the first few chapters, giving a feel for Helga and Arnold while also building up a roster of characters who could be meaningless to whomever was reading, but also a reference to people I knew in real life who stood as the basis for the characters. For instance I do have a coworker who is nicknamed Mickey Mouse, so I thought I'd put something in about him. On to the show!

* * *

As the rest of the world kept moving, it seemed like Arnold and Helga were trapped in that single awkward moment. While neither of them wanted to admit it, both of their minds had wandered off to a dirtier darker place that they never spoke of to anyone; the thought of sex. It was hard for Arnold to wrap his mind around the idea, for Helga it was more of a reoccurring fantasy. Arnold wondered what kind of person Helga would be as a girlfriend or as a lover, all that Helga hoped was that he'd even want to embrace her as her fragile mind couldn't take the idea of being turned down. '_Should I make a comeback? No…no that's way to forward…_' Arnold thought to himself.

"Crimney, what was I thinking?" Helga said almost apologetically. "What girl would even want to date someone as short as you?!" A small snort escaped her, but not enough for her to be embarrassed about.

"Hey, hey, hey" Arnold started. "What I lack in height I make up for otherwise"

"Oh yeah tough guy? How do you make up for it?" Helga's mind was almost hoping he'd say something romantic, or sexual for that matter. '_Stop this right now Helga, stop thinking about him like that!' _She squeezed her hand tightly in anticipation of his answer, wondering what exactly she had stumbled into.

He took a moment to look around, as if the answer lied in the crowds of people around them. He snapped his fingers and pointed at Helga with a smile"…Charm" Arnold replied, as he started to walk again.

"Charm?"

"Charm" he confirmed.

"Oy…" Helga said, shaking her head. She had to admit to herself, a part of her was disappointed with such a lack luster answer but another part of her knew the answer he game was appropriate. '_Oh and what charms you have you sly dog_…STOP THAT HELGA, STOP SAYING THINGS LIKE THAT' she thought.

"Maybe you're right, I don't exactly have a whole lot of luck these days with anything" Arnold sighed.

Hearing those words pounded into the back of her head. Almost like a flick of a switch part of her mind stopped functioning and she couldn't stop the words that flew out of her mouth. "Oh poor muffin, after finding your parents, traveling the world and then coming back as some sort of hero to the school you think you have a shitty life? Wow I didn't think you thought SOOOO drastically" Helga growled.

"No I mean…It's just that I just…" he was screwed and he knew it. He had opened up Pandora's box and Helga Pataki was hiding inside ready to pound him. "I would you know…like to succeed in some of the smaller stuff too you know? Just between you and me, I was talking with this girl at work-"

"-Talking?" she snarled. She finally started to walk away from him, Arnold had to aboard this fast.

"Talking! TALKING! HELGA!" he shouted, following her.

"More like flirting."

"No…just…I don't know"

"Okay there." A feeling of sadness swept through Helga's body. Each step became heavier and harder until she couldn't walk anymore. '_Don't blow your cover now old girl…he's just like any other stupid boy…get over it_' but no matter what she told herself it was still Arnold. Her Arnold.

"But we were talking and because I wasn't paying attention a bottle of soda exploded all over her shirt. Not exactly a great first impression" he chuckled embarrassedly.

Helga didn't have it in her to reply this time. He was treating it like it was the end of the world, one single girl turning him down. Helga hadn't been seriously flirted with by anyone, apart from a few jokes from Terra and her crew Helga was unseen by everyone around her. As she tried to swallow her pain and put a solid face back on Arnold stared to the sky, which was now housing several glowing stars. Realizing how conceded he sounded he struggled with what to say next, not wanting to further damage his time with her. "I'm sorry. I'm still trying to catch up on all these teenage experiences, like high school romances, parties and all that jazz." Arnold said, trying to get a response out of Helga. "I guess I'm not your average teenager"

"You and me both football head" she said softly.

In a red hot flash, Arnold broke away from his insecurity and let one idea slip out. "Helga, would you do me a favour?" he asked while coming to another sudden stop.

"What do you want from me?" she growled defensively.

"Let me take you out to eat…" he said, swallowing his pride in the process.

She pretended to massage her face, when in reality she checked for tears. Feeling nothing, she finally put back on her annoyed face and turned to him. "Are you joking!?"

Arnold put on a bright smile and put his hand out for her to grab. "Not in the slightest"

But she slapped it away. "What kind of weird girl would say yes to you?"

"I dunno. I've been told you can be weird at times"

"HEY! You got a problem buster?" she said, raising her fist to him.

Arnold took a step back, almost hitting someone who was walking by. "Not at all. I actually kind of like it that way. You're like a challenge…not like in the sexual way I mean like…you're-"

"-complicated…" it sunk in…he was finally going to admit how bad of a person she was.

"No!" he defended "…I mean…maybe. You're deep, you're mature"

She looked at him, dazed and confused at the words that he had said. She continued to search his eyes, for some sort of meaning to his madness but nothing. What he said were a pure and simple fact in his blonde head, and because of that she howled with laughter. "I'm mature? OH MAN! Did you not see what I did to Eugene last year in the Boys bathroom?"

Arnold took off his hat and scratched an itchy part of his scalp. "You're… straight forward. No stupid mind games like some of the other girls our age. I know you Helga…you tell the truth, you speak your mind and you…you know what you want" oh boy did she, but he didn't know that. He could guess, maybe even…maybe even hope, that she found him attractive, but what did he know? No matter what she wanted, how was she supposed to say yes without revealing too much? Her mind wandered quickly, desperately searching for the right way to say something to him. As a few quick seconds turned into a minute, Arnold started to worry himself. He kept touching himself, scratching the back of his hair, checking his shoe laces or checking his wallet all to keep himself occupied as Helga hid her face, hoping he wouldn't see the excitement in her eyes.

Then it happened. They both tilted their heads at the sound, in a mutual form of happiness. Helga's stomach growled.

"Well I know you don't want to, but whatever issue you have with me, your stomach certainly seems to want something" Arnold said, smiling relentlessly.

"Okay…alright…fine. I forgot to eat dinner okay" Not like she had much of a choice though.

"Great. Perfect! I know this one place we're coming up to, you'll love it I'm sure" He couldn't stop smiling, a hop was in his step and he started to almost leap his way while Helga stumbled in hopes of catching up.

After crossing a few streets and remaining almost silent the whole way the duo reached the restaurant. Helga tries to catch a hint of what's inside but if anything it looks like a pub. The neon green sign blasts the words: ROKK HOUZ, with a sign pointing to the black metallic door beneath it. There were no windows, no menus and no people outside, only a sign that read "18+ after 11:00". A creeping fear came over her at what to expect, would there be annoying macho bikers inside, or fake cowboys? Only Arnold knew. As he opened the door, revealing a dimly lit stairwell Helga couldn't help but grip her elbows and quickly shoot her eyes from corner to corner to make sure nothing popped out at her. She felt almost childish but she just couldn't get the worried feeling out of her skull.

As the stairwell went further, with several old movie posters passing them with each step the two could hear some sort of music playing the background and the smell of food slowing creeping up on them. Helga couldn't figure out for the life of her what exactly the smell was, it smelt like a barbeque but that would be impossible underground. As they made it down the last steps they entered a doorway with a couch, a few signs indicating a menu and specials and black podium where a balding man stood.

"I.D please?" The man growled. Arnold must have already pulled it out while walking but Helga hadn't noticed. Her mind was on the wall, which showed this place celebrating different decades on different days. Tonight was 80s night, whatever that meant. The man checked Arnold's I.D and marked something on a page, before handing it back. "I.D Ma'am." He asked to the absent minded girl.

"Oh she's the same. Don't worry we'll be out by 11." Arnold assured.

"Okay, I'm warning you now security will pull you out if you aren't starting to pack up by 10:30. Got it?" The man replied. Arnold simply shook his head. Helga was still looking at the wall when she finally recognized the song playing as the theme of Footloose. Before she said anything though Arnold's sudden tapping of her shoulder forced a squeal out of her. "Woah, sorry Helga come on, let's grab our table" Arnold said, walking away from an embarrassed Helga.

Her eyes tried to follow Arnold, but she was just as interested in the place. On one end of the room was a fancy area, with furnishing, some games and a long bar. The other side was covered with basic tables, where several couples of different ages were all sitting and eating. In the middle of the room, down a few short steps was a massive dance floor where people were moving to the beat of that classic movie anthem. A DJ stood at the far end, playing while two large screens showed the lyrics of the song for people to sing with. When the song came to an end, Helga finally came back to reality and realized she had lost sight of Arnold. She looked around, scared and lost trying to not look completely clueless, but falling right into that category. Despite the darkness, Helga could see that blonde set of hair and raised flailing arm near the back of the seating area calling her over.

"What are we doing here?" Helga stuttered as she made her way over to sit down.

"We're enjoying each other's company. Besides there is no way you won't find something on the menu to like" the happy boy replied, pulling her chair out for her.

'_Oh you sly boy you…_' she thought. Her mind was too fragile right now, the right set of words or actions by Arnold could ruin the image she made for herself. "But dancing? Seriously?"

"Would you rather make out at the movies?" He said, staring at her completely serious.

Her heart pounded. She knew he was joking but hearing it was too good to be true. "You couldn't afford me Football head." She replied with a devilish smile.

The two shared a mutual evil grin at the statement, but realizing what happened only a little while ago, Arnold distanced himself from the moment as soon as he could. He tapped his hands against the table with the beat, looking across at another couple eating. "I guess not…but speaking of affording; I'd rather you eat then worry about my wallet. Pick whatever you like"

"Did you really think I care about your wallet? I intend to get the most expensive thing here" She said, studying the menu.

"Be my guest."

Everything she saw looked appetizing. True most of the listed items made this place seem like a grill, but it even had spaghetti, noodles, fancy salads and Roast. After what happened earlier this evening her mind was focused on the burnt mess in her kitchen, so she settled on the steak instead. Arnold grabbed himself a burger and fries and the two ate through a vast number of 80s hits. Almost an hour passed and two simply discussed their dinner and the music itself, never getting too deep or discussing themselves for that matter. Before long dinner was over, the drinks that had filled time and time again were empty and the bill would be there whenever they were ready to leave…but Arnold had other ideas.

"I know I asked you for a favour, but would you mind doing me another one?" he asked hesitantly. Her eyebrows raised and her heart fluttering as she simply stared at him. "Give me one dance. That's it."

She put her elbows on the table and interlocked her fingers together. "And why would I do that?" A devilish smirk formed across her cheeks as she tapped her fingers and pretended to look away.

"Apart from me owing you? Because I want to show you I have some moves that maybe one day will interest a girl. If you can survive one dance with me, then maybe others will too"

Unbeknown to him, she couldn't stop her knees from shaking at the thought. _'One dance…it can't be all that bad…he can't be that good of a dancer…but what If I look like a fool? Then…okay no maybe that'll be good, he'll think I'm a bad dancer and he'll never put me in this situation again. Curse you Arnold_' she thought. "I'll give you one verse. If you can keep up"

As a song by Knives and Violets ended, a heavy metal rock tune that neither of them quiet knew the lyrics too, they headed to the dance floor. With the way the music was playing, it was all just a matter of headbanging and air guitar, as oppose to actual movement, which Helga preferred. If she didn't have to actually dance, she wouldn't have to worry about losing her cool. As they found their way to the middle of the dance floor, the lights dimmed and the silence swept over most of the room. The couples were too quiet to be heard, and the bar was nowhere near full yet. It was a moment of pure thought, nothing more. Then out of the darkness, a sound moved its way across the floor and into the hearts and minds of the two teenagers. Helga's eyes raised with a sense of fear and doubt as Arnold instead simply smiled and snapped his fingers. They both knew what song this was, and there was no way for Helga to escape now.

"_When the night…has come….And the land is dark….And the moon...Is the only thing that we see…_." The speakers roared.

As the song picked up, Arnold raised his hand up and bowed his head, awaiting Helga to make a move. She swallowed, slowly reaching to grab his warm and soft hand trying to slow down her breathing in the process. As her hand touched his, a jolt of energy went through them both. For the first time in years, they were actually touching. His hand gently squeezed hers, as his other hand reached around her waist, trying to sway her back and forth to the tune. She dare not look at him, too worried that even in the darkness her hot red face could be seen by him. Instead her eyes looked to the floor and to his moving feet. With each step she stumbled to catch up to his.

"_So darling, darling…_" the speakers continued.

"_Stand…by me, Oh…Stand…by me…Oh stand…Stand by me…_" a new voice began. Helga looked his way, catching Arnold slowly whispering the lyrics to the song while staring at the screen.

It was magnificent and as a warm sensation took Helga's heart her feet suddenly began moving on their own, finally recognizing Arnold's movements. The second verse began and the two were spinning with the crowds, without a second thought or doubt as if all part of one big moving machine. She knew that this couldn't last though, and as the second chorus started she pushed off his hands and forced him to look her way, a devilish grin across her face.

"And Football head, football head, get…away from me, oh…get…get from me" She sung, a sarcastic look across her face. All he could do was smile and shake his head, he should've expected something like this from the cunning and "vile" Helga G. Pataki.

As the instruments took command between the second and final verse, the singer was no longer heard. Arnold took a bow and stepped away from Helga as she did the same and started to dance by herself. In amazement Arnold watched the twirling figure move with the beat of each instrument; she knew this song as well. To him, she was completely beautiful, having lost that angry look of hers and becoming something of pure femininity. No matter what she was wearing, or how she spoke Arnold saw her for a single moment as the girl she tried so hard to not look like. As her dance stopped, she invited him back a gentle smile across her face and the two, while not touching danced across from each other, back and forth moving as the final chorus played. It took them a bit to finally flow properly, but like a couple who had been doing it for years, they somehow found a way to make their dances match. Lost in the crowds of people, not seen by anyone Helga and Arnold shared a moment of pure clean enjoyment, with no strings attached, no worries and no thoughts of the past or future.

When the song came to a close, the crowd sang the last few lyrics together, Helga and Arnold mouthing along as Ben E. King's timeless song disappeared into the walls of the restaurant. A few claps and a whistle or two were heard from the tabled customers as the lights brighten up again. The DJ pressed a few buttons and disappeared into the backroom, leaving a nameless beat playing in his place. Helga and Arnold watched as people started to leave the floor, both wishing that the music would come back soon.

They both looked at themselves, worried that maybe they had done something wrong or their clothes weren't clean, unwilling to look the other in the eye. '_Oh god what do I do now?_' the young man worried. It wasn't like him to actually let himself loose like he did; it was only in the privacy of his mind that he actually would think about dancing, since he was young. "Listen, I have to go use the washroom I'll be back in a sec okay?" Arnold said.

"Yeah…Sure." Helga replied, as a look of sadness started forming.

'_Oh crap what have I done now? I can't say I don't need to use the washroom that just looks weird_' he stumbled to figure out what to do next, but he had to cheer her up as soon as possible. "One sec I promise!" Arnold assured as he ran to washroom.

Helga wasn't disappointed over him leaving though, she was disappointed in herself. She felt like a fool, having let herself act like that. After all the hard work she had put into forgetting him, and trying to be someone different she was thrown it away in just a few sweet minutes. A few tears began to form and she knew she had to get out of there. Arnold on the other hand was trying to clean himself up as much as possible, a look of pure joy in his eyes. He had gotten Helga to open up, and the night was still young. He checked his phone, noticing a missed call from Marko but didn't think to call him back. When he left the washroom though, her seat was empty, her hat gone and only a bill remained. After paying for the bill and walking home, Arnold headed to bed gripping his phone in one hand and staring at it, hoping she'd send him a message. Just a few blocks down, in a quiet dark room, Helga cuddled her phone with tears covering her face. No one was sleeping well tonight.

* * *

Okay, it should say...one second let me check to make sure...yep, okay it does say that while this is a romance there is obviously going to be some drama. Now no matter how you spin it, Helga who hasn't been on a date and is already having a bad day would not be comfortable where she is once Arnold isn't around. I feel she would sort of snap back to reality, or at least her reality. The next chapter is once again something a little bit different, so please bare with it. I feel that it is one of the two instances in this story that would turn people off from wanting to continue reading, not because of the content but because of the storytelling style.

As for references this time around, we've got the very famous song _Stand By Me_ By Ben E. King. If for some reason someone is reading this and knows the song very well, then they may give me a tongue lashing for using the song while calling this an 80's night at the restaurant, but I did my research before putting it in, and it'll be mentioned more next chapter about the song's history.

Thank you so much for reading, and see you in Chapter 6.


	6. Ring, ring

Authors Note: So here it is, the chapter I'm the most afraid of...but at the time I thought it was worth it. I hope you enjoy and for those who are lost, remember that it goes back and forth between Arnold and Helga, 1, 2, 1, 2, and so forth.

* * *

It was a breezy Sunday morning and a set of teenagers had barely slept the night before when the sun started to creek into their respective rooms. It was calm and quiet, but in that lack of noise left the two of them feeling truly alone and helpless. The only way to escape this void was to speak to the only people that would actually care enough to listen, so they both get out their phones and sent out their calls.

"Hey there Gerald…listen I don't mean to bother you like this so early in the morning but-" The sixteen year old boy began.

Meanwhile the seventeen year old girl instead spoke to someone else. "I really need to talk Pheebs…It's important and I'm so damned lost that I can't concentrate."

"I can barely sleep. I shut my eyes, the time changes by a little bit and then I lay there again for another half hour waiting for it to happen again. I just…I can't get my mind off of some stuff"

"It's like I'm throwing something away and then it throws itself back into my thoughts I just…can't get rid of it!"

"So…here's the deal." Arnold Began.

Helga cleared her throat and began as well. "Yesterday when I was walking around I noticed my mom heading out and I asked her where she was going."

"Miriam was going shopping and for whatever reason and she came to my store, like I told you when we walked home from work…"

"Although I wasn't too keen on the idea, I asked her to come along."

"But Helga was forced to go, so she was in a bad mood…well I guess she always seems in a bad mood but anyways"

"She didn't mind me coming along, so I was almost excited to be there. I got to pick out what food to buy and I thought I'd even-"

"-run into Helga. She was looking away from me, picking out some pop and stuff and to be honest I didn't know what to say…"

"I heard someone coming up behind me, and I knew he was there. But he was just…staring. I know it was stupid but I honestly thought for a second he was admiring my ass, because you know he didn't know it was me at the time…it was just some random blond girl I guess, if he knew it was me he probably would've walked away…"

"I mean I knew it was her. There was no mistaking it. That wasn't what was stopping me. I mean just between you and me, she does…okay sorry off topic…"

"Eventually I barked at him about staring and I turned and-"

"It was actually her…and she laughed at me."

"I mean I laughed at him! Like some stupid hyena."

"We sort of bickered back and forth, I tried to explain my shortcomings…"

"…and I just kept finding more things to argue with him about. Then to make matters worse Terra showed up"

"And I was not pleased"

"She started to fondle him as if he was a girl"

"She even called me a friggin Girl! The nerve of her"

"Before I knew it the two looked like they were about to fight, but she saw me and she pulled me away."

"She took Helga away and before I knew it, my chance was gone. My chance to actually talk to her away from school and people and…complication. For the first time in years there was nothing in our way, or so I'd hoped…"

"Terra heard me yell at Arnold, and thought that I'd enjoy her company. I sort of nodded along without concentrating, my mind was more focused on what I'd done to that innocent guy…well innocent in regards to Terra, to me…sorry I'll get back on topic. She found my mom, and somehow along the line found out Big Bob was away… because when I popped back into the conversation Terra had made plans to invade my house…MY HOUSE. I couldn't let her in, I could barely let you in…"

"So fast forward alright? I finish work, I see you…we start talking with your coworkers and eventually you leave so I go home…I clean myself and head out again…"

"I told my mom that I was going to see you, and then told Terra I had a job interview but that wasn't true. So I went out."

"It was a beautiful night. The sun was warm"

"The air was cool"

"And just overall…it was relaxing"

"It wasn't often that a walk would do me good, but I had to look like I was going somewhere right?"

"And that's when it happened."

"He found me. Just…out of the blue"

"I thought maybe I had finally broken my streak of bad luck but she wasn't too happy"

"I was ecstatic, I was walking WITH ARNOLD…but my head was spinning. I didn't WANT to hurt him again like earlier in the day…and I didn't want to be hurt by him either"

"Every time I tried to keep things going, she shot me down"

"Then finally things got awkward when my attempt to belittle him turned into a sex joke which well…my mind shot into THAT place again"

"I didn't know how to respond, she kinda cornered me with that joke and well…I mean I've never…well you know. The first thing that popped into my head was to say OH I HAVE LASTED LONGER THEN 2 MINUTES but that would be a lie, and would make me look like an ass. A small part of me though, for a quick…tiny…little…fraction of a second….wanted to say that; I'd love to prove I could last longer…but I knew that was wrong and then I started to think about well…other things…I know I'm creepy…I shouldn't be thinking thoughts like that…I don't want to be a creep or anything…"

"I didn't WANT to think about it, I mean it's just a stupid female desire that ties down so many people and I'm forced to bear with it. I'm not about to go start breeding like some wild cat but when it hits me…it's like a landslide."

"The thought of me and her…and it was just…OKAY I know what you're thinking…Yes. Helga G. Pataki naked, It's a weird thought but I mean…it's not like she's ugly or anything…just a tad rude at times. But I didn't think of it that way, not about her demeaning me sexually…just…Us, and it didn't seem so bad…"

"So I tried to get out of there. I just shot out the first thing I could think of and I had offended him further, but not sexually this time, I sort've got away from that topic as soon as I could"

"And I just stood there, took the blow and tried to erase the images in my head, but something stuck. The idea that maybe Helga isn't always bad…I mean she must be happy sometimes or feel stuff…So I decided I would force her down and get her to open. So I asked her to go to dinner-"

"And I wanted to say yes, but how could I? I couldn't just…act so out of character. Luckily my stomach talked for me, I hadn't realized but it must've been several hours since I'd last ate. So I pretended to bear with it and he took me to this place downtown"

"The Rokk Houz"

"It was a grill…and a dance floor and it was…"

"…it was good. I loved the place"

"I thought It was okay. It was flashy and weird and…so retro. I mean I get it, I get it…you like old stuff, but did everything there have to be at least 10 years old?"

"so we ordered…"

"…and we talked…"

"And before long I got up the courage to ask her to dance"

"not like…jump…or grind…DANCE."

"And she accepted…"

"Barely. I mean…I had to dance with him…for him…."

"And then get this."

"As if like some corny stupid movie…"

"Stand By Me played."

"I panicked."

"I laughed"

"But he raised his arm, and treated it as if there wasn't an issue and we started to dance. Slowly at first, but after a while he was really into it. He looked so dorky…it was cute."

"I thought it was almost romantic…I'm a pretty good singer and I even got her to smile"

"It's a shame though that he wasn't a better singer, maybe he actually thought he was good but It was too loud for him to hear his own voice…oh but I heard. Not as bad as my mom's but he wasn't exactly Ben E. King…then again I barely heard him anyways, oh it doesn't matter"

"So we danced and before long she got into the groove of things"

"So I went with it, we danced and danced but he didn't want to really get into it…it was just slow dancing nothing more. The music was so much more rich then that! So I let go of his grip and put back on my evil mask of mine and parodied the lyrics to try and upset him but he thought I was joking…so I showed him…"

"It was damn good. I mean she must have been to some sort of classes because she knew how to flow with the song…I mean that song was released in the 80's and she knew it off by heart"

"It was a great song, though I don't know why they played it during the 80's night…when the song is actually from the 60's…but the movie is when it got big again so I guess…I dunno. Back to the point."

"When she was confident she had shown me her moves, she let me back in and we danced together"

"With every move I made, he made one back and we worked off each other without saying a word"

"Then the song ended…and the crowd started to die down…"

"And he went to the washroom…and I finally realized how much fun I was having and how much I had let him see…"

"So I ran to the washroom and I came back and then…she was gone."

"I knew I had to leave…I just…I couldn't deal with it. I made myself look like a fool and now I'd once again screwed up everything. All these years of building these defenses from his charms, all these years of pretending I didn't like him anymore…"

"What had I done?"

"All because of him leaving…things would've been so much better if he had just stayed."

"I tried my damn hardest to show her I was still interested in being her friend, in getting close. Everything I've done was to prove I'm not going to abandon her at the side of the road, I meant what I said when I was 11…she saved by life…how could I forget about her?"

"He said he'd never let me go…was I so foolish to let some young boy's words stick with me?"

"I mean there is that chance that she wasn't feeling well…or maybe…she saw someone…or…I don't know. It's just not like her to leave like that, and I don't know if I should call her up or if I should just wait to see her again…"

* * *

"I thought that maybe, maybe…if he cared he'd call me up. Over the phone, away from his devilish good looks and his soft voice, I could finally confront him…but he didn't call…so I guess I was right. Arnold doesn't care about me, and I need to stop clinging to this idea that he thinks I'm special. That trip we took to San Lorenzo…he almost died there and when I saved him, not to sound like I'm some sort of hero, but he made it sound like he worshipped me for what I did. And then we went back to school and he tried to treat me especially nice and bit by bit I let him in, and then when I was so close to…explaining how I really felt…he leaves…"

Helga squeezed her pillow, wishing to cause it some imaginary form of pain to reflect her anger. Moments past and just as she was ready to question if someone was there, a sigh escaped the phone.

"I think you need to talk to HER again Helga" A small tired voice squeaked.

"She wouldn't want to see me Pheebs. I let her down" Helga replied, covering her face with her hand to hide her shame.

"She cares about you, and she'll tell you what's best. Anything I say, you will take as me trying to move my own plans into action, which isn't true by the way" 'Pheebs' replied, still unable to fully wake up.

"I try not to think like that, it's just how my mind works. I'm sorry."

"And some people are like that, so if you truly believe that me hoping you'll get together with Arnold is better for my relationship then I guess you'll think that way. It's not logical, but it's just how you're thinking. Meanwhile I know in my heart of hearts that I think it's better for you to keep your hopes up, there is nothing wrong with keeping your hopes up Helga. He may have made a mistake by moving away, but he doesn't understand that and many view his decision as a good thing. Seeing his parents helped him, even if it hurt you. You just need to make him realize the full effect of his choices."

* * *

Several streets over, Arnold hid under his blankets while listening to his friend rant on about Arnold's decisions. "Alright man, first of all. Don't interrupt a dude's beauty sleep after he's worked the last few days straight. Second off, do you really want to deal with Helga on the phone? She gives you enough shit for talking to her in person and in my opinion, albeit just a theory…is this. Mind you this is about as weird as one of Sid's stories too but here it goes. Helga must run on an opposite system to every other female. While we deal with the once a week terror of girls, she instead runs on three to four weeks of pure terror and for one week each month she exhibits signs of human emotion. I think you have caught her in a moment of actual compassion but like a girl trying to not be a bitch on her period, Helga realized how much she hates you and left, not only making you confused but also making you look like a fool at the restaurant" A tired Gerald rambled.

"That's pretty diabolical dude"

"I'd like to think the evidence backs it up but if you're really so struck on your theory, which is absolutely crazy that Helga actually does enjoy being taken out for dinner…well then I'm giving you till the end of the summer, if not I'm forcing you to talk to some of my girls again. I promise you, I know many girls who would enjoy your company"

"YOUR girls?"

"My lady friends…to whom I have no interest in and that is the public statement to be read at all meetings about myself"

"Wouldn't want to piss off that girlfriend of yours would you?"

"It's not her I'm worried about, I'm worried about her bitch of a best friend who I think is screwing you up right now too"

"And that's your opinion and I won't force it otherwise until I have proof, but I think I should talk to Helga and if you can try-"

"Oh no! I am not going to try and get Phoebe to open up again about Helga, that shit does not. End. well."

"Ugh Okay…there has to be someone who can explain it"

"You want to see if Phoebe has the answers? Your man Gerald has got you covered but you owe me big time, and speaking of time I want to enjoy the rest of the afternoon by sleeping. When I'm done my thousand year sleep I demand you get me out of this house"

"Oh everything alright?"

"between work and family? Not completely but we'll talk when I'm actually up."

"Jamie?"

"Nah man Timberly"

"oh alright. Well I'll get the guys together and maybe we can play some kickball tonight?"

"Kickball?" He asked in confusion.

"Yeah, is that a problem?"

"Isn't that a little preteen of us?"

"well I just thoug-"

"nah man I'm pulling your leg, I'll talk to you later."

"yeah goodnight princess"

As Arnold heard the beeping on his phone, signifying his friend leaving the conversation he pressed on his phone several times, trying to find the number of Helga listed somewhere within it. As he finally found it, his fingers twitched almost forcing him to call her, but in his hesitation he got a grip and realized he should wait, no matter how painful and long the next few hours would be. As the sounds of the street came flooding back to his attention, Arnold tilted his head in hopes of catching some proper sleep finally.

* * *

"Are you still there?" a nervous Helga questioned, squeezing tight on her eyes hoping to hear a sound.

"What? Oh yes…Hi sorry." Phoebe replied, her voice making her seem preoccupied.

"Did my girly rant interrupt your perfect little life?"

"Hey, hey, hey. No need to get mad, I was checking a message from Gerald"

"Does it read: my key is ready to unlock your pleasure?"

"You have to give the poor boy more faith Helga."

"I'm really not in a mood to bother you further about this…"

"I know, and I'm sorry right now this is about you. If you can try and make it through today, as hard as that may be…I can help you get to her on Monday okay?"

"What I can't cross the street by myself?"

"You're a young woman, of course you can cross the street; I'm going to make sure YOU actually cross it"

"Harsh"

"Realistic my dear girl" she said cheerfully.

"Alright…I'll go. I guess you're busy today?"

"Sadly so. I'll text you later on though, please…get some sleep Helga"

"I'll try but…no promises"

"Alright. I promise your journey tomorrow will give you some direction."

"Don't you want to say; it'll do me good?"

"Well you might define good as something other than the answers you get tomorrow, so no I sadly can't say that"

"Oh…okay"

"I'll talk to you later, please sleep tight"

"Later Pheebs"

Helga simply put her phone on her mantel and turned on her fan, no longer thinking that her phone would ring, and that the fan would hide its sound. It would simply be Helga by herself today, but once again she had to lie. She could easily sink into blanket and slumber for a few more hours, but her mind trailed off elsewhere, to the sudden realization that her father would be home by tonight and her mother while left to her own devices may have left a mess downstairs. The restless girl, with her aching body and emotionally unstable thoughts dragged herself out of her room, not even considering putting on less revealing clothes or addressing her red eyes. As she shut her door, she left behind the fragile hope that someone would contact her.

* * *

Okay so as you can see this chapter isn't exactly the normal format I use, nor is it one I intend to use again. One thing I'm a tad iffy on but felt was necessary was Arnold swearing, even if it was only a slight one. I may have used in chapters before, but I don't believe so. What I've come to believe, and what others tend to believe is that Arnold isn't the "perfect" character. He has flaws and sometimes his emotions get the better of him. He's still the zany, kindhearted and extremely dense boy he always was but now he's a little grown up, heck he lives in a house with middle aged men who seem angry enough to swear, and I'm pretty sure even Oskar has sworn on occasion in the show.

So who is this mysterious person Helga needs to talk to? Could it be her sister? Lila? or someone else. Who knows? Oh wait I do.

Thanks for reading and I love to hear what you guys think, thanks for reading!


	7. Batter up

Author's Note: Returning back to the regular format with this one, and this is an Arnold focused chapter. Please enjoy.

* * *

As the bus came to another sudden halt, Arnold returned from his daydream to discover two friendly faces entering the bus. He quickly turned off his music player and welcomed them to the seats beside him only to notice that there was only one seat to give. As the duo paid their fare, Arnold trying to be the gentleman he sought to be and instead stood up giving them both a chance to sit down. Gerald, his tall and slender dark skinned friend spotted his red basketball jersey which showed off some of his muscle, while the girl beside him was drastically different in appearance.

"My, my, quiet the special treatment" Gerald said taking his time so fall into the chair, making an over the top "Ah" sound as he slid.

"Thanks Arnold, but you can take my seat if you want. I wouldn't want to get in between your love affair with Gerald" the female said. She was much shorter the Gerald and very thin, much like Arnold. She hid a set of beautiful green eyes behind oval glasses and held a constant smile wherever she went. Despite her frail figure and beauty, she was able to play off her humorous remarks, almost as if to look like she was serious about it. She wore booty shorts, that seemed to disappear under her large T-shirt which some would mistake as Gerald's, however this young lady preferred the coziness of an oversized shirt.

"No, no. I insist Phoebe. Besides I already had some time with Gerald this morning, albeit on the phone" he said while giving a quick flirtatious wink to his friend.

"Oh no, I'm pretty sure I was the one who got a grouchy boy when I woke him this afternoon. Remember Gerald? You told me I had to MAKE IT UP TO YOU" She said giving her boyfriend a menacing look and poking her finger into his gut. Gerald simply put on a wicked smile and looked over to Arnold, who despite not wanting to, knew what the implication was.

"I don't want to know what you two are up to behind closed doors, I'll just assume you two innocently watched some horror films and I'll keep my sanity intact" Arnold replied with his head in between his lap, fighting the erotic imagery that came to mind.

"Of course that's what happened Arnold" Phoebe stated, her eyes flapping endlessly. "We're just experiencing puppy love. Nothing more…nothing less"

As the two embraced a quick kiss, Arnold began to wonder who the bad influence was. Phoebe was a star student with skills in math, science and music but found herself making more of the moves then Gerald did. It could just be the fact that Gerald was a very laid back guy, but his skills in all respects seemed underused these days, it was as if he was bored with the world or he simply didn't care about much anymore. The three teenagers continued to make their way via bus to the city park, where the usual crowds of kids were finally disbanding after lengthy days of water balloon fights, park activities and biking. The wind was finally picking up and a gentle breeze grazed Arnold and his friends as they left the bus.

* * *

In the Pataki household, a sudden loud thumping awoke Helga, who wasn't feeling anywhere near perfect. Her head was aching and her arm was numb but the banging coming up the stairs was forcing its way into her half-conscious brain. As she began working out the muscles in her hand, hoping the tingling sensation of her hand would go away she realized that her father must have returned home. Not caring about her appearance she tilted the door open slightly, peaking out to see a frustrated middle aged man forcing his luggage through the hallway. He had died his hair brown once again, to appear younger then he actually was and had a much larger unibrow then her daughter. He was a little overweight, but still had some muscle in his arms and chest which almost balanced it out.

"Light as a feather Bob…" Helga mumbled as she picked the gunk out of her eyes.

"Yeah, Yeah" he growled. As Helga became more attentive she noticed Bob's hair colouring had been recently applied and as always looked horrible in her opinion. He must have put it on for the convention, but no matter how he looked his personality couldn't be hidden behind anything. The beeper emporium he owned was doing well as it expanded into a multipurpose store, selling equipment for camping, car supplies and security equipment all under the Pataki name. "Where's Miriam?" he shouted from his room.

"Dunno, she was asleep earlier" Helga replied as she headed over to the washroom.

"Did she go shopping?"

Helga shut the door to the washroom and checked up on herself in the mirror. "Yeah don't worry she got what you wanted, keep your head on."

Helga could hear her father huffing through the different rooms in the second floor, but sadly it wasn't completely improbable for Miriam to randomly be asleep in some area of the house other than her room. "She better not be wasting all the gas in my car!"

Helga meanwhile was continuing to clean herself up, fixing up her hair and checking her teeth for any random gunk from not brushing her teeth the night before. "I thought that was HER car?"

"I paid for the damn thing! I can claim it as my own" he continued.

She could hear him now repeating a pattern as he walked up and down the hallway, he was either checking the rooms again or simply pacing. "Okay Bob…calm down"

"What was that young lady?" Bob growled from outside the door.

Helga clenched her teeth, letting out her own growl. "KINDA ON THE TOILET DAD!"

"Fine. I'm going to watch the game, call up your mom" Bob continued down the hallway and presumably downstairs, finally giving Helga the comfort and quiet she needed.

"When I'm done peeing if you don't mind…" she whispered to herself.

* * *

Back at the park, Arnold Gerald and Phoebe had finally arrived at the baseball diamond where they discovered a group of kids playing and off in the background a group of bored teenagers waving the trio over. By the looks of it, the kids had been playing for some time as they were all fairly sweaty and screaming out things about catching up in score, but all that really mattered was how long they were going to stick around. As they made their way through the back of the diamond, Sid stood up and walked over.

"Hey look what the cat dragged in" Sid commented.

"Hey man, whatcha been up to?" Gerald replied.

"Not much just been working hard, or so I'd like to think…Hi there Phoebe, you here to cheer for your man today?" Sid sarcastically stated.

"Oh No, I'm here to hand you your asses again" Phoebe said, clenching her less then menacing fist in Sid's face.

"Again?" Sid asked.

"Two years ago man!" another voice shouted.

Arnold and the others looked over to see a short tanned figure come towards them, with jet black hair and a forming mustache. He raised his hand up to greet them, but his hand was shaking just enough to be noticed.

"Hey there Michael, you remember that game too?" Arnold said.

"Oh you know it. We let those girls play and before we knew it they wiped the floor with us…It's been a long time though hasn't it?" The teenager replied.

"That's quiet the memory you got in their Michael. I'll give you bonus points if you remember my name" Phoebe stated, once again batting her eyelashes to appear innocent and feminine.

"Yes I'd like to think my memory is…fffffairly good." Michael stuttered. "But you might call it a bluff if I said I remember your name is Phoebe"

"A bluff, why would you say that?" Phoebe questioned.

"Because Sid just called your name not two minutes ago, then again with these loud kids I could just say I was unable to hear him say that." Michael replied.

"Oh…Okay" She replied, trying to make sure she understood what he meant. "That's quiet the thought process you have there Michael but none the less Origato"

"Oh uh thanks…" he mumbled.

Arnold could see how nervous Michael was, and rightly so. He was the odd one out in this little conversation, in the big group of people waiting to play kickball Michael was one of the guys but here he was the newbie. Sid, Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald all knew each other since they were kids and Michael was simply a guy from high school. He was a friend in Arnold's mind, no doubt about it but he wasn't one of the original gang which had since disbanded. It was all just part of the changes that happened with growing up. The kids could no longer claim Gerald field as their own, it was for the new fourth graders to use, now they had to find other places to play there sports instead of being the same menacing teenagers they hated as kids. Even some of the cast of Arnold's life had changed, some people like Brainy and Stinky had left when Arnold was away, and others like Rhoda and Eugene instead did different things with their time instead of playing a game like kickball for the sake of Nostalgia.

"Also where's that girl Helga?" Michael asked.

"Oh…she was busy…today. Don't worry about it" Phoebe replied, trying to hide the awkwardness of the situation behind a fake smile.

"Hey that's fine by me. After the damage she did last time; I'm good with who we've got around" Sid stated.

"Yeah how many do we got?" Gerald said.

"With you guys it's 12, plus Herald is actually coming for once though he'll be late" Sid said excitedly.

"Alright, do we know how long the kids are going to be?" Gerald asked, while Arnold scratched his hair trying to figure out if he wanted to ask something.

"I think they said they were on the 4th quarter? Or something stupid like that. I don't even know what the hell they're playing It LOOKS like baseball, but they're treating it like Football too!" Michael noted.

"Sounds friggin weird man" Gerald said, looking in on the game.

"Dude" Sid began "It IS friggin weird"

Arnold took a look over to Phoebe, who glanced his way, let out a quick smile and then turned to hide from his gaze.

"Phoebe…how is Helga?" Arnold asked with a look of worry on his face.

"Oh she's fine. She's just busy partying it up today with the girls. Why?" Phoebe replied, still not looking directly at Arnold. He knew something was up.

"Well I was…" Arnold started, catching himself before revealing too much. "4th quarter?" he asked over to Michael. "That's sound pretty strange…"

"Yeah that's what the one in the hat said" Michael replied.

"Alright, hey could we…talk for a second Phoebe?" Arnold asked, waving to get a response from her.

"I guess? I hope you're not about to hit on me or something. I'm taken if you can't tell" Phoebe replied, she was desperately clinging to a fake sense of strength but Arnold could easily see past it. For the strong woman she had developed into, Arnold had found a way to tell when she was lying or uneasy.

"Don't worry, I noticed" Arnold said with a smile.

"And yet you still send me those DESPERATE messages" Phoebe said, walking towards a bench up a hill.

"What was that?" Gerald barely said, still trying to make heads or tails of the game and not even looking to notice his girlfriend walking away.

"Just keep watching the game and I'll keep your girlfriend busy man" Arnold said to Gerald, patting his shoulder. His inattentive friend probably wouldn't have noticed if Arnold did make the moves on Phoebe, but he had to admit to himself he was fairly curious with what was going on in the diamond himself. Arnold headed up with her, giving them enough distance to carry a conversation without being heard from the gang. As they both took a seat the kids shouted out "GOAL!" and several of them ran around dancing, confusing the teenagers around them.

"What did you wanna talk about Arnold?" Phoebe began.

"I was hoping to call in a few favours." Arnold stated, looking off into the distance and fiddling with his hands. It was clear he was just as nervous as her.

Phoebe put some of her hair behind her ear. "I don't remember owing any favours and I'd like think I'm good with debts"

"These favours are off the table if you remember"

"Off the table?" she questioned.

He let out a deep sigh and turned to face Phoebe's gaze. He could see the look of terror in her eyes, he almost didn't have to say what he was thinking, because she obviously knew what he meant. "Grade 9. Under the stairwell, I think it was November?"

She let out a similar sigh before he had even finished the last few words. '_I knew it'_ she thought to herself. She put her head up and looked to the orange sky, thinking back to that day many years ago. "So you're bringing up that…"

Noting her demeanor, he turned away from her and looked towards the diamond, neither of them wanting to look each other directly in the eye for this. "I'm desperate. So yeah, I'm bringing it up"

Phoebe put her head back down and started to clean her glasses, she had to distract herself as well. "I needed to know he still liked me…he just sort of changed when you left, and for all I knew I was just another friend to him"

"And that's fine. I'm glad you two got it sorted out, I was willing to play cupid…or whatever you want to call it"

She stopped for a second, alerting Arnold who was caught it from the side of his view. He looked over to her and saw her letting out a faint smile. She put her glasses back on and slowly crept her arm across his shoulder as sort of a half hug. "Yeah, you have no idea what it meant."

Arnold just smirked and let out a small chuckle, putting his arm around her for a brief second before both parties stopped the intimacy. "I'm just glad he shows some drive for you, although he needs to apply himself a little more in other categories"

"He'll find his way I'm sure. He's just struggling to find himself and not become his brother"

"No I know, he's still the same old Gerald…just a lot more popular and a lot more wild"

"Yeah…but I guess that's what I like about him…he doesn't worry about everything, he keeps me calm and keeps me sane. He's my Gerald…But enough about my love life what did you want from me?"

Arnold pulled off his hat and started to roll it around In his hand, trying to keep it spinning with his movement. "Last night I went on…well…an unofficial date with Helga"

"Okay…"

"I don't know if she told you about it or not, but the fact is; I had a great time and she left without saying goodbye or anything, and I want to know why"

"And you think I know the answer?"

Arnold stopped rolling his hat, which fell straight to the ground. "I KNOW you know the answer." He stated, a hint of a laugh and a growl in his voice.

Phoebe swallowed. It wasn't like him to have such aggression in his voice, and the fact that he wasn't looking at her made it twice as scary. "You sound pretty sure" she mumbled.

"I…" A sudden change hit Arnold, he had realized what he'd just sounded like and felt like a fool. He shook his head and tilted down to pick up his hat. "Okay maybe you don't know but I-"

Upon getting back up, Phoebe was focused on him again, trying to catch the attention of his eyes. "I'm not going to tell you what me and Helga talk about, that bond is stronger than any blackmail. I will give you this though, your right that I know about it, and although you do sound a little cocky…don't doubt yourself yet"

"Yet?"

"Well you might be right about me knowing what happened but my question to you is…why do you think it happened?"

Arnold looked away, massaging his chin for a moment to figure out what to say. A number of ideas came to his mind, but none of them sounded logical, instead he just came up with the only words he could. "I think I upset her"

"Okay…" She sounded confused.

"Am I on the right track?" Arnold tried to get her to look at him again; he needed to know what she was hiding. He had to know.

When Phoebe finally did look at him, her eyes were as menacing as she could muster. "Did you not hear me before?"

He paused and looked away, placing his hat back on his head. "Right…sorry"

"So you think she's upset with you…why would she be upset with you?"

"I don't know, maybe…forcing her to do stuff?"

Phoebe was fairly confused by that statement. She didn't want to look directly at him, but her mind did wander to the idea of Arnold being aggressive in a sexual manner, which didn't seem to fit. She didn't want to seem like a fool for asking but she had to know. "…Is there…more to this story then I know?"

"What?" Arnold couldn't put two and two together at first, but after a minute of Phoebe's shifting eyes and red face he started to figure it out. "Oh…NO. NO. I mean, forcing her to go out with me"

"Helga is her own woman, she can make her own decisions and she'd say something if she didn't want to be there with you"

"So she WANTED to be there with me?"

Phoebe put her finger up to Arnold's face. "Don't you try and find hidden meanings in my words, what I mean is think a little harder"

He pushed her hand away, she was small but she still was scary. "Maybe…I wasn't asking her to do enough?"

"That could also be it, but do you think she's an easy girl?"

"If she was an easy girl, we wouldn't be having this conversation"

She nodded gently. He was starting to get somewhere. "Good point. Well what kind of a girl is she Arnold?"

"A complex one."

"Do you think she's the type of girl who is into dancing and stuff?"

"Well she seemed to enjoy it too…but apparently not?"

"Why wouldn't she enjoy it?"

"Because…" Phoebe asked, rolling her hand around.

"Because?"

'I'm going to sound like an idiot here…' he thought to himself. "she's not…used to it?"

"Ah" Phoebe let out happily with a smile "Now that's an idea!"

"She wasn't comfortable? She wasn't comfortable." He kept repeating in different ways.

She let out a small giggle, it was cute seeing Arnold trying to figure this stuff out. "I'm not confirming that" she said, trying to contain composure "You need to talk to her"

"Is it okay to talk to her?"

She nodded. "Logically talking to her is better than not talking to her. That is all I can say"

"So she won't kill me if I contact her?"

She gave him a sinister look. "I will not confirm or deny that"

He let out a happy huff like noise and stood up. "Okay…well thanks Phoebe" But suddenly something was pulling his arm.

"Wait." It was her hand.

"Wait? What for?"

She used her grasping arm to pull him back down to her level. "Do you really want to talk to her?" This time it was her studying his eyes.

He knew he couldn't look away, no matter what she thought of his look…if he looked away then he she'd never let him talk to her again and he couldn't have that. "Yes. Of course…why?"

"You're positive?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Was she uncomfortable? Yes. I'll admit it." She let out a deep sigh, she was defeated for the time being. "But there is more to it than that and if you're not ready for more than just that, then you shouldn't try and find her"

Arnold took a seat beside Phoebe again, who was hiding in her lap. "I don't understand"

"It tells me a lot when you say you come up to me, demanding answers and showing interest. It really does"

"Okay"

"I just need you to help me realize you're in this for real. Beyond my own images of getting to go on a double date with Helga, I need to remember what's best for her and maybe that's talking to you, or maybe it isn't." Phoebe was truly unsure of herself, which was odd for her.

Arnold sighed. "She's got some serious things going on in her head doesn't she?"

Phoebe scowled at that comment. "She's not a basket case. Don't think of her that way"

"I'm not… I'm just trying to figure out who she is because you can fool a ten year old kid into thinking that yeah; there is someone out there that genuinely enjoys ruining people's days, but I've seen a lot and I'd like to think I've gotten smarter. Helga isn't a bitch, but she certainly knows how to play one"

Phoebe let out a small chuckle before catching herself, a little embarrassed at laughing at that last part. "You've got some brains under that golden hair"

"Thanks. It's also good to know you're willing to be my friend beyond the necessary girlfriend interaction"

"I'm not that kind of Girl Arnold. Though for future reference, nothing happened under that stairwell in Grade 9"

"The memory is gone from my mind"

* * *

Okay so that was fun for me. Another one shot character named Michael appears, who is based on a friend of mine but yeah, as I've said before things have changed for Arnold and now I've dropped a few names. Brainy and Stinky aren't around any more, not dead but not exactly around. One day I'll get into Brainy's situation, but while I enjoy the character of Stinky I figured that someone wouldn't move along with the gang and people like Peapod kid, Nadine or Sheena weren't as strong of a relationship with Arnold for him to be thinking about.

Phoebe is a great character and was always the smart one of the group, but every once and a while we'd have a story about something she isn't good at and so who else but Arnold would she go to for the advice of dating. I'd like to do a one shot one day about their discussion in the stairwells of grade 9, but it isn't coming anytime soon.

So next up we have a Helga focused chapter, with her meeting a mysterious female though I'm sure some of you could guess who it is. Speaking of though, this will be the last chapter I update for a bit. I've still got work to do on these chapters, but now that I've built up the story enough and people can at least read the first bit of the dramatic side of the story...then I can sort of reel you guys in to check back on the story when it updates. That being said though, I'm going to try and keep to a schedule for released depending on editing and such I for one got into writing this because I loved reading other people's fan fictions and while that was all said and good several were still in the midst of being update or were incomplete...that won't happen to me. Thank you for reading, I'd love to hear your thoughts.


	8. The Other Mother

Hey there everyone, I just wanted to say WOW. It's been only about a week or so and you guys seem to actually enjoy this. Thank you so much for the kind words I have been receiving in the reviews, and for all of the views and those who are following. Enough about me thinking I'm big for a moment shall we? So here we are with a Helga focus chapter, and this is where we get into the nitty gritty. Did anyone have any thoughts on who this woman was going to be? So many to choose from, but in my head there was only one. Please enjoy!

* * *

"So the kid with the hat and the tubby kid suddenly get out their bats and start swinging them at each other until the hatted kid's bat breaks which apparently declares the other team the victor" Phoebe said, walking alongside Helga, motioning her arms to fit the particular image of the story. Her arms were now firmly above her head mockingly going up as if she were one of the cheering children.

"Uh Huh" Helga said, looking away and appearing uninterested.

"So then we finally got a chance to play, but by that time it was almost 8 O'clock and it was getting dark out so we barely had a chance to go at it so…you know it wasn't all that great" Phoebe continued, trying to keep Helga's attention. "So the point is…you didn't really need to be there…"

"Oh. Wonderful" Helga nodded with an extremely sarcastic vibe.

"You REALLY seem intrigued"

"Oh I absolutely am." She said, halting her feet. Helga refused to look at Phoebe and reveal how hurt she was at the story, and simple looked to the sky "I just love hearing about how you got to hang with the guys while I was stuck at home last night!"

"I know…I know." Phoebe took a step in front of Helga, turning to the side to face her. "But I didn't think it was best to invite you"

"You're probably right." Helga cringed. Phoebe was as always…correct "Still, last night sucked" Helga finally looked down at her friend, who was showing an affectionate smile to the towering inferno of anger Helga was.

Phoebe patted Helga's shoulder before taking another step and making Helga follow her. "Did you hear from Terra?"

"Nah. I think she's pissed at me about Saturday. I'm just having a wonderful week you know"

"Luck will catch up with you Helga I'm sure. And look, since you were able to bear with me rambling, the trip flew by" Phoebe stated, pointing at the upcoming building.

It was a surprisingly cold Monday, the sky was a pale shade of grey and the streets seemed fairly empty for the noon hour. Helga didn't like hearing about the fun the group had the night before but Phoebe was right, the trip flew by. Like a sudden gust of wind, all of Helga's fears rushed back into her and she felt herself almost sink into the ground, unable to be moved. Phoebe took a quick peak at her phone, taking several steps forward before realizing that Helga was falling behind. It had been a long time since Helga had come here, and if it weren't for Phoebe coming, Helga may never have come back here again.

"Come on kiddo, we're almost there" Phoebe said, grabbing hold of Helga's arm and dragging her forward.

"She's gonna hate me. I can feel it, I know" Helga rambled "and then she's going to want me to leave and tell me how much a disgrace I am and how I've wasted all of her time all those years ago" she continued almost pleading with Phoebe to slow down.

"She's not going to hate you. She's been there for you before and she'll be there for you again. You won't trust my advice, but you can't deny hers" Phoebe grabbed hold of Helga's arm and forced her out of the spot she felt she'd never leave. With each step, Helga seemed to feel very heavy, though Phoebe couldn't tell the difference as she continued to drag her friend towards the building.

The two girls crossed the street, staring at the massive purple building that lay in front of them. It hadn't changed much since Helga was a kid, but then again she didn't change much either. As if it was just another Tuesday afternoon, Helga headed inside with Phoebe close behind making sure she didn't make a run for it. As they entered the lobby they noticed construction going around the elevators, Phoebe poked Helga to talk to the front reception but Helga was in a state of panic. She began frantically checking herself out, making sure she looked as good as she could. Her jeans weren't too low, her straps weren't falling off and her hair seemed to be in order. Phoebe shook her head, knowing full well that Helga didn't need to be nervous as she was, and headed over to the reception herself.

It was a very different side of Helga, being so out of sorts. She never felt the need to look good for Arnold, nor did she ever panic at displeasing her parents. To Helga, being back in this place was something dreadful but she needed to be here. Phoebe made her way back, discovering a Helga fiddling and twisting her hair in between her fingers. She gave Helga a quick thumbs up as a confirmation and they headed up the elevator to the third floor. As the doors opened, a sign on the wall across from the Elevator revealed the difference offices in the building and who they belonged to…Her name was still up there. Helga put her game face back on as they turned the corner and noticed the open door leading to the office, she was in there as she usually was eating lunch. Phoebe hid behind the corner of the door as Helga walked up and gently tapped on the wall, looking in to the see the woman at her desk.

She looked as beautiful as Helga remember her, a true example of an empowered woman. She had her hair fairly short, with dash of red lipstick on and waxed eyebrows. She wore a brown suit over top of a purple blouse, with matching dark brown shoes. Though she did do her best to look good, she was caught in a moment of devouring her salad, with an embarrassed look on her face when she realized who was standing there. She took a deep swallow and a quick sip of her tea before standing up with a welcoming smile.

"Helga G. Pataki…If my eyes don't deceive me" The woman let out.

"Doctor Bliss…It's good to see you again" Helga replied, trying to form a smile.

"How long has it been, four years? My how time flies" Doctor Bliss commented, putting her hand out to greet Helga.

"Yeah I guess so" Helga replied, looking down at the hand but not willing to reach out.

"Okay…well. I'm just on my lunch break right now, though I guess you knew that coming here"

"Well you always did start your lunch late." Helga let out with a nervous chuckle.

"I remember a time or two you caught me here, skipping class too" Doctor Bliss replied, she still held a constant cheerfulness in her voice, but now spotted a cheeky grin at the reminder of how Helga was growing up. From the age of 10 to 13 Helga sought Doctor Bliss's advice with school, home and most importantly; Arnold.

Helga blew a raspberry. "Like I cared about classes…"

"Too true my dear. So" She began, firmly placing herself on the side of her desk "what can I do for you today?"

"I just wanted to come up and say hello"

"That's a lie!" Phoebe's voice said, reaching out from behind the doorframe.

"And who is that?" Doctor Bliss said, looking over to the door.

"Oh that's Phoebe, we were just on our way somewhere and she didn't mind waiting…" Helga said, her face now red and her lies easily seen through.

"I see. Phoebe, I assume this is going to take a little longer than a few minutes, you going to be okay waiting out in the hall?" Doctor Bliss asked.

"I'll probably wait downstairs or something, Helga can text me if she needs me." Phoebe replied, finally showing her face.

"Thanks. I appreciate it" Doctor Bliss said as Phoebe began walking away.

"I…I…I…" Helga tried to let out.

"It's okay Helga, take your time" Doctor Bliss replied, walking passed Helga to shut the door.

"I don't really know what to say" Helga took her usual spot in Doctor Bliss's comfy chair, where usually the doctor would sit while her patients sat on the couch. For Helga she liked being in control on the chair instead.

"I'm sure you do Helga, you always knew how to voice yourself when you were younger"

"Yeah…when I was younger"

"…So that's the first issue…"

"What do you mean?"

"Helga, I am a child psychologist but that doesn't mean I don't know how to talk to young adults, I'm just not paid to do so"

"Yeah exactly, and I can't pay you…"

Doctor Bliss scoffed. "Helga please. This isn't a session, this is just two girls sitting and talking. Two friends"

"Friends?"

"I'd like to think that between finishing primary school and your first few periods we established a fairly decent bond." She chuckled. Helga hid her face at the thoughts of her passed. "So yes, yes, yes. I consider you a friend"

"Thanks…doc…"

* * *

Phoebe made her way downstairs and out the front door as she fiddled with her phone. It would be impossible to talk while indoors with the construction going on, but outside in the less then noisy streets Phoebe would have the amount of privacy she needed to talk on the phone. At Sunset Arms a cellphone shook at his desk and Arnold quickly went over to grab it.

"Hello?" Arnold said, trying to catch his breath.

"Hey there Arnold, it's Phoebe" Phoebe replied.

"Oh hey Phoebe, what's up?"

"Remember what I said last night about contacting her today? Well give her another half hour or and then I'll give you the signal, if you'd be available to do so."

"Yeah absolutely, I do have work later this evening so I can't talk to her forever, but we can at least talk you know?"

"Well, I'll be here when she receives your call so-"

"Call? I thought I'd just text her."

"Well if you call her I can make sure she actually responds."

"Are you sure it won't come off as creepy?"

"You asked her out on a date just the other day, but you're worried this will make it creepy?"

"I…okay. Thanks Phoebe, it means a lot to me"

"This is for her more then you Arnold. I can't really say much more but…someone needs to make the first move and it's going to have to be you"

"What is this, the fifties?"

"No, but this isn't exactly a romance novel either"

"Wait…romance?"

Phoebe firmly slapped her forehead, she let it slip but it wasn't too late to catch it yet. "I mean…this isn't exactly your average run of the mill story. I could've easily said horror story or crime thriller either…"

"Oh…of course." But in the back of his mind, some ideas started to form…

* * *

Three stories above, Helga paced back and forth across the room explaining the last four years of her life; the friendship with Terra, the return of Arnold and the night they spent together only a few days before. As always Doctor Bliss lied back on the couch, hands gently placed over each other while her head moved with Helga.

"And so you panicked?" Doctor Bliss asked, interrupting Helga's thoughts.

"I guess." Helga replied, her hands now firmly gripping her arms.

"Because you weren't ready for it?"

"Because I thought It wasn't supposed to happen…or something" Helga didn't fully understand that was for sure.

"You're talking about that promise you gave me"

"yeah…"

"Helga that was several years ago, and things have changed since then. You told me that you were going to get over Arnold and explore who you were, we didn't know he was going to come back." Doctor Bliss sat herself up and checked on her hair quickly. "It was just an awkward situation with your age for my job…you're the one who wanted to stop seeing me remember"

"And I made sure I never had to see you again."

"And that's your choice." Doctor Bliss affirmed. "I would never get mad at you for feeling the way you feel. I'm giving you the power to live as you want, as long as you aren't doing anything stupid I'm not going to tell you what to do."

"Yeah, well…" Helga stuttered.

"Well what?"

She began to fiddle with a bracelet she was wearing, trying to distract herself from the confession she would have to make. "I'm not as clear cut as I used to be."

"Helga, what are you talking about?"

"I may have…dabbled in drinking on an occasion or two…"

"Okay" Doctor Bliss let out a small whistle "You had me scared Helga, it's not exactly a great choice but that's not going to phase me"

"Alright but…I just…"

"Have you stolen?"

"No."

"Have you hurt anyone?"

"Not exactly"

"Please don't tell me you looked up that poor boy Brainy again"

"No…I mean…I might've…possibly…"

"I see." She said firmly. It didn't need to be said, for everything she had been through with her family, school and Arnold it wouldn't be beyond reason that even Helga G. Pataki would do such a thing. "Are there any marks Helga?"

"I…No…not anymore" Helga dropped the bracelet, she was completely ashamed of herself. There was nothing left of her anymore, just a pile of building blocks that Doctor Bliss somehow knew how to reassemble. Or used to that is.

"That isn't the answer Helga."

"I know, I know…I KNOW!" Helga screamed. "I'm so damned confused about who I'm supposed to be. I thought I knew it when I was younger but now I just…I feel like two separate Helga's. One who just wants to destroy everything in her path to prove she exists and the other…this scared girl who just wants some affection. Is that so much to ask for!?" Doctor Bliss shook her head "This stupid, carefree, bastard of a boy who comes into my life tells me after I save his friggin life that he'll never lose me and then disappeared for several years, then thinks he can come trashing back into town as if nothing happened?" Helga stood up and kept her arms straight at her side, yelling down to the poor doctor as if it was her she was mad at "I hate him for it, he drives me mad, he drives me bonkers he makes me hate myself-"

"And yet." Doctor Bliss quickly dashed in, moving her finger along as if she'd heard this a thousand times, which was more or less accurate.

"I…Yeah…" Helga said, calming down and returning to her seat "and yet…how I adore him…the way he looks at me, the way he pushes past the cruel dark exterior of this hideous form and reaches in to find that scared girl and tells her; It's alright. Oh Arnold why did you leave…"

"So you're worried he'll hurt you again"

"But did he hurt me? Am I being over the top again?"

"Absolutely not." Doctor Bliss stood up and walked over to Helga's side, placing her arm on Helga's shoulder "It was a confusing time for both of you, when you two came back from the jungle you tried to open up to him, but he was gone within such a short time…and…well am I allowed to state my opinion…my personal opinion?"

"Please…"

Doctor Bliss got down on one knee, moving her hand from Helga's shoulder to her knee, giving a reaffirming squeeze. "When he left you told me you didn't understand it, and that you were for the first time truly finding yourself hating him, because he abandoned you. I think that maybe you doubt yourself, and because of that you further hid yourself from the world. Years ago you told me that drinking was a bad idea, and although it can be a fun experience it's also shown to enable people. You aren't this school yard bully that you keep pretending to be Helga, that fist of yours that you used to call Betsy, who's hit people and destroyed property, is also the same tender hand that has on more than one occasion embraced Arnold's. So are you this menace Betsy? Or are you this young woman, who could dash the hearts of men who we'll call-"

"Cecile…"

"hmm? Oh yes…Cecile"

"Yeah her"

"Ah the tale of Cecile, I do remember her. For one night when you two were young, you dressed yourself up, wore make up and let out those inner feelings all under the guise of a girl named Cecile. That was quiet a step for you back then, even if it was only a onetime thing"

"I can't believe you remember that story…"

"I could say it's my job to remember, but it's also me wanting to. You're not just a case to me Helga, you're a friend."

"Thanks Doc."

"Sadly…I have to get going. I need to run somewhere before my next appointment but I want to hear from you again"

"Okay well I'm kinda jobless right now so I can't really afford your help"

"I see well…" Doctor Bliss sat up and went over to her desk, rustling through some papers "although my boss won't like it, I have an idea"

"What's that?" Helga said, wiping her face for tears.

"If you're interested, we could use an assistant in the office."

"I don't really have the …skills for that…"

"Can you walk and talk?" Doctor Bliss asked, motioning Helga towards the door.

"Well duh"

"then you can do it. Think of it as an experiment. We're going to test the waters for Cecile to come out, I'll be close and you'll behave and in the end everybody wins"

"And what about Arnold?"

"I think it's about time you told him how you feel"

"I…okay No" before they knew it both girls were in the hallway, with Doctor Bliss locking the door behind her.

"Okay well you need to talk about what happened, because not talking is a step further away from the overall goal"

"Which is?"

"Helping Helga find a balance between these two halves"

"So I'll start scheduling you after I can start paying?"

"No we'll discuss it during our lunch hour and we'll call it…girl time"

"Are you sure?"

The two continued towards the stairwell, with Doctor Bliss leading the way. "Well I'll need to convince my boss that I've found a perfect candidate for the job, so please if you still have my number call me again in a few days and we'll figure it out okay?"

"You have no idea what this means to me Doctor Bliss!" Helga said completely ecstatic.

"Helga…It's okay to be open and in a sense naked, it makes you stronger. When you work with kids, you get sick a lot but then your body gets stronger and tougher and you're less likely to get sick. It's the same thing as that"

Helga was in a complete state of denial, she wanted to accept Doctor Bliss's offer, but how could she have been so lucky? Before she knew what she was doing she was hugging Doctor Bliss as if she were a 10 year old girl once again. Doctor Bliss was barely able to hold her keys as Helga began to squeeze the life out of her. Helga had developed in so many years since their sessions and yet she still had that innocent desire for affection still embedded deep in her soul. After several minutes of Helga trying to express her emotions, and then another several minutes to return to her average self, she made her way down the hallway and downstairs to meet Phoebe. Doctor Bliss prepared for her next appointment however her mind was with Helga, who she now felt responsible for not checking up on. As the doors opened, Helga noticed the construction crew putting in some piping, indicating what could be a fountain of some sort and saw her friend texting on her phone nearby on the floor.

"You know call me old school but I'm pretty sure it's the older men ogling the hot young ladies, not the other way around Pheebs" Helga stated.

"It's a new age Helga" Phoebe said, making a groaning noise and getting on her feet. "Women of our century need to appreciate the male form in its sweaty, hairy trueness"

"Bleh" Helga shuttered. Phoebe's sarcasm had outdone Helga once again.

"So how'd the session go?" Phoebe asked, her hands still typing away on the small screen.

"Well we…caught up and we…" Helga began to say, taking note of her friend. "Decided to enslave all cats in hopes of creating the ultimate Chinese dish. Stuff like that"

"Remember Helga, I'm Japanese. Not Chinese" Phoebe said, finally putting the phone away. "I was listening, no need to jest like that"

"Oh were you listening? Because to me it looked like you had better things to do…"

"Helga… Don't be like that"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated" Helga stated.

"Why did she really give you heck?"

"No the opposite! She…she's like a flipping mother to me! I needed a friend, she was there…"

"You needed a friend?"

Helga let out an embarrassed chuckle "I needed…" '_Oh boy that's not a good way to express yourself old gal_'

"An experienced opinion."

"Yes…that…sorry. And so she was there. I needed a job, she gave me one!"

"She gave you a job?"

"She-" Helga started to say, only to find her pocket vibrating. "One sec. Who In god's name is ca…"

"What's the matter?" Phoebe said, both of them slowing down their movements.

Helga turned pale white. "It's Arnold."

"Answer it!"

"What? NO! I can't…"

"Talk to him! Isn't that what Doctor Bliss PURSCRIBED?"

"I wouldn't know what to say!" Helga tried to keep the phone as far from her face as she could without dropping it.

"Don't say anything. Let him talk. See what he wants"

"Alright…" Helga agreed. She began grinned her teeth, unsure of what to do. "will you hold my hand? I know it's weird but…please"

"By all means Helga"

With a deep breath and a rush of adrenaline Helga pressed the single green button on her phone.

"…Hhhello?"

"Hi…Helga"

"Football head…what do you want?"

"I wanted to see how you were doing. You left in a rush on Saturday"

"Yeah I did want to ma-" But as she tried to raise her voice, she felt Phoebe's hand squeeze hers.

"I was just concerned is all. If you were mad at me I'm sure you would've said something to my face."

"Why would you be concerned? Pissed off you didn't hit a home run lover boy?" Helga noticed Phoebe's growing face of disappointment, and succumbed to her own disapproval of her voice.

"It wasn't meant to be like that, it was simply me trying to see if I could"

"See if you could what?"

"See if I could treat you, without you leaving"

"I…Ow."

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean it like that"

"No. I deserved that" Her voice shifted, the angry side of Helga was no longer in control. Somewhere between Phoebe's caring hand and Doctor Bliss's generosity that side of Helga lost her power.

"You deserve a good time Helga, I just wanted to show you that"

"You did show me Arnold. I just wasn't sure it was real."

"Why wouldn't it be real, I don't exa-" Suddenly Helga slipped from Phoebe's grasp and flew to the sky., as if she was reaching out for something.

"Can we talk!" Helga shot out.

"I thought that's what we were doing?"

"I mean in person! Somewhere! ANYWHERE!"

"Sure…" Arnold said as Helga's hand came roaring down, although unlike her she struck a pose of victory. "It'll have to be tomorrow…or later tonight"

"You're working?"

"Yeah I am"

"Then I'll come to your store after work."

"Are you sure? This is really unlike you Helga…I don't want you to go out by yourself like that?" And in an instant her rage came pouring back in.

"What am I? Twelve! I can handle the streets more than buster!" she said as she put the phone to her mouth.

There was a brief moment of silence, Arnold must've moved the phone away. "You're absolutely right"

"Then it's settled…I have to go now, but don't make me wait up! You hear me!?"

"I wouldn't dream of it"

"Good. Until then Football Head" Helga growled.

"Until then Helga"

Helga, huffing and puffing as her fist tried to break the metal in her hand suddenly heard the beep on her phone, reminding her that he was gone, and it suddenly clicked. Her hand turned to mush and the phone slipped from her grasp crashing but surviving on the cold cement below. Her eyes widened and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. She was going to talk to Arnold. Noticing her phone, but not able to really look around Helga tried to bend down and get the phone, only to slip on her own weak legs and tumble to the ground. Phoebe went to her side in a panic, Helga was still awake but she was in a state of panic. She was going to talk to Arnold.

* * *

So when I was writing this one thing I had to do was study my facts and try to make sure to basically cross my ts and dot my Is because what sort of person would I be to create a story without knowing the context. Doctor Bliss is a one shot character from the episode _Helga on the Couch_, who I personally loved. It was good to have someone who NO OFFENSE could look into the world of Hey Arnold without disturbing the peace. I also realize that Doctor Bliss was physically present as a cameo in another episode, but without speaking or doing anything to the plot I consider her a one shot. Considering though that it has been seven years since _Hey Arnold__!_ took place in the timeline, there is a lot of ground to cover and I couldn't do it all at once but this is a good starting point I'd like to think. I covered some aspects that will be touched upon later, and some that I'm leaving to your imagination. For instance Helga says in this chapter that she saved Arnold's life, which is a reference to _Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie_'s story ideas, which had Helga saving Arnold's life. Since there are many Jungle movie fan fictions, and because the movie is not dead in the eyes of Craig Bartlett and the numerous fans, what happens in the Jungle Movie is going to be left to your imaginations. The only thing that I didn't include from the Jungle Movie's story is that Arnold and Helga ended up romantically together, they may have kissed and they may have saved Arnold's parents, but the character's were fairly young and were moving towards getting together. To say earlier that Arnold isn't perfect, and then have Helga and Arnold as kids getting together and staying together is a storybook ending, but it's also slightly boring and unrealistic.

And so we come to the point of this story, to touch upon the idea that now as young adults Arnold and Helga can stop being dense or stubborn or whatever and finally discuss the feelings that everyone: the fans, the creators and the character's themselves have been building up to for all these years: their relationship.

Basically what I'm saying is that I am taking some artistic liberties with this story, while still keeping the central feel of the original property.

So I'd like to say that same time, next week I'll add another chapter or maybe even two. Arnold takes over for chapter 9 and his luck isn't about to get any better. Thank you for reading, I'd love to hear some reviews.


	9. Arnold's bad day

Hey guys, back again with another chapter right on time. I want to apologize though if anyone is having any annoyances with the spacing as for some reason despite me trying to push paragraphs apart it doesn't seem to be working. Obviously I need to reread this website's instruction manual. This an Arnold focused chapter and be warned, I'm about to cause some havoc in his life.

* * *

Arnold rushed across the street as the bus zoomed toward him. No matter how hard he tried, Arnold always managed to find himself in a rush to get to work, even if he had a ride from his Grandpa. He made it loud and clear today that he was going to catch a bus and didn't need a ride, but in a desperate search to find his music player he lost time very quickly. As Arnold sped down the street his tiny nametag flew from his chest pocket and slipped onto the pavement below. "Not now!" Arnold screamed to himself, trying to slow his momentum.

The bus driver who either wasn't looking or didn't care flew by the out of luck teenage boy, leaving him for vultures on this hot and dry day. It was okay though, a bit of bad timing on his part that in the end was his fault, though he didn't like to see it that way. After a long evening of waiting then finally playing Kickball the night previous, Arnold had forgotten to put his Music player in its usual spot on his desk, but at the time Arnold had assumed he'd remember where he actually left it; his pants pocket. Like a wounded soldier retreating from the front lines, he headed back into the apartment and sought out his Grandfather. Inside bickering amongst themselves while trying to install something, were Ernie and Oskar who upon noticing the annoyed Teenager both came together for one moment to fake the sound of a trumpet, mocking Arnold. Oskar was a middle aged man spotting a brown beard, while Ernie was a balding short redhead. He simply looked their way and glared, unwilling to let his emotions get the better of him. Inside the kitchen was Grandpa who upon seeing Arnold knew what happened.

"I'm real sorry grandp-" Arnold began wiping the sweat off his face.

"No need shortman. Just remember we're gonna start taking bets every time you claim to catch the bus" His grandpa replied. He took a moment to get up, at 89 his age was finally catching up to him no matter how much he tried to keep himself in shape. Like Arnold, his grandfather was a thin man with long arms but was much taller than Arnold with pale skin and no hair. As the two headed out this now being the third time Arnold was walking by, he finally noticed the duo trying to work on fixing the ventilation system. It had been a long time since the ventilation system broke down, as it had only been seven years since the apartment complex was updated. One of the only things left about this place that was never updated was his grandfather's Packard, which likewise was also finally succumbing to old age. This didn't bother Arnold though, change was a strange thing to him. It was only through finding his parents in San Lorenzo that he went through a change in his life and since then much had changed for better or worse.

As the drive commenced Arnold and his Grandfather discussed the crazy ideas of Ernie, who wanted to make more improvements to the apartment since the vent system had crashed. Both of them agreed that the place needed no "improvements" and alongside that, Ernie was more of a demolition man then a construction worker and would do more damage than good. As time ran thin, Arnold could hear the sound of his managers arguing with him about the time he should be arriving at work but he was unwilling to ask his Grandfather to do anything stupid in the middle of rush hour traffic. At every corner there was a red light and at every turn a line up, and with the heat suddenly coming back in the late afternoon the ride wasn't a very pleasant one no matter how the duo tried to play it off.

Finally the Packard pulled up on the store and Arnold practically flung the door open and close as he rushed his way inside, not even letting his Grandpa blink before disappearing inside the massive building. The first set of doors opened, revealing the massive room containing the carts, soda and candy dispensers and a wall of announcements and public information. When Arnold looked however, many of the carts were gone and he knew it'd be his job to catch up, so with huff a shake of his head he headed through the second doors. The second doors were to the store itself, and the produce department but as Arnold had hoped to enjoy just a second off cool air; Arnold felt nothing.

"Jeez" Arnold said under his breath. The day was not about to let up on him.

Arnold adjusted his backpack, which he took with him almost everywhere and headed to sign in then find his manager. There was no sign of him, not in the dairy department, the backroom or the bakery. When he finally found a familiar face, his co-worker didn't show much to be enthusiastic about. As Arnold slowed down his pace and came to a halt, the guy in front of him, who sported straightened black hair, a lip ring and five o'clock shadow, shook his head as if Arnold had done something wrong.

"Hey Sheen…what's with the face?" He worriedly asked.

"Dude you better get your ass upstairs. Chad is kinda pissed" Sheen replied.

"Chad is pissed? Oh man something has to be wrong…" Arnold said as he tilted himself and rushed upstairs.

Chad was one of the assistant managers that worked at the store and was notorious for going easy on people, and getting along with Arnold. Hearing that Chad was genuinely pissed was as weird as a cat and a mouse being friends. Arnold barely let another second pass before he flung himself in the direction of the stairwell, hoping to the heavens no one got in his way. He swung himself around the corner right into the main office and finally into the pocket office which oversaw the vast store floor below. In a chair filling some paperwork was a man in his early 30s with glasses and short brown hair with a look of annoyance on his face.

"Hey Chad, whatsup?" Arnold asked, trying to downplay his fear and exhaustion.

"Oh not much just working you know?" Chad said, throwing his pen on his desk and placing his hands behind his head. "You know what time it is right?"

"I swear I tried to get here as soon as possible, I missed a bus…" meanwhile Chad was simply shaking his head along with a fake look of understanding across his face "…almost lost my nametag and had the worst luck in traffic…"

"Well your bad luck is my bad luck too you know." His arms swung from the back of his head to across his chest, intertwining. "I am currently missing Tarantula man, while my friends and my wife are all going to see it. I'm not going to lie to you Arnold, I'm a little disappointed"

Arnold took off his hat and checked for sweat, even if it wasn't as hot in the store he certainly felt the heat. "I know, I'm really sorry you have no idea…I didn't…I thought you were closing…"

"I was. Then Larry had some issues come up, so yesterday we decided to switch shifts and now Isabelle is closing"

Arnold's brow raised, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Isabelle from meat?"

"Yeah we're sort of understaffed for the night." Chad nodded his head along for a moment with Arnold similarly nodding and giving a true look of understanding. Chad's eyes quickly shifted to the clock and then back to Arnold "Not the point, the point is I have to genuinely remind you that you are twenty minutes late. That's got to be some really bad traffic…"

"it was I swear…"

"Okay well come downstairs" Chad said, pulling himself off his chair. "we'll look over what you got to do then I'll head out"

"Won't you miss more of the movie?"

"I do like the idea of seeing my friends, and of course being with my wife…but I really enjoy the property and I'd like to experience the whole thing at once you know? I hate being that guy that says; What did I miss?"

"Alright Chad, and I'm really sorry"

Chad grabbed his lunch bag and headed through the doorway into the main office, but stopped before hitting the second doorway into the hall. "Okay well…thank you for at least showing up, If you didn't this conversation would be a lot worse."

Arnold took a few steps towards Chad, half way in the main office while Chad was in the doorway. "I wouldn't do that to you guys. I'm not like that!"

Chad let out a sigh and adjusted his glasses while he turned to see Arnold's disturbed face. He was generally upset that Chad would think he was such a bad employee and for that Chad saw past his own frustration if only for a moment. "Some of the guys here might and I didn't think you were like that, but I still have to enforce the rules"

"Well thanks for the faith"

"Alright let's go see what you got to do tonight..." Chad said, waving Arnold to follow him through the hallway towards the stairs.

The two headed downstairs where the soda aisle which Arnold had considered his 'home turf' was in much disarray. Flavours needed to be filled, special displays had been grievously injured and items such as a frozen turkey had somehow made their way into the shelves. Arnold as if preparing for a confrontation of some sort began to stretch himself out and crack his knuckles while hearing Chad ramble on about the tasks he had to perform tonight. Though there was still a hint of his annoyance, Chad cracked a small smile at Arnold's weird attempt of humour. The lengthy speech finally came to an end and Chad headed to his car while Arnold worked his magic on the carts. At first it was a challenge even to him, as the amount of people coming in was larger than that of those returning their carts. For every five carts Arnold brought in, six people would enter the store.

* * *

An hour or so went by, Arnold continued to push carts as the people slowly started leaving the store. All the while he would take the occasional to minute sit to enjoy the contents of his phone and his Aiderade drink, which gave him the fuel to keep going without the buzz of an actual energy drink or soda. When the wind finally started to pick up, Arnold realized he could finally head indoors and clean up the aisle hoping that whoever entered or left the store would keep the carts nice and tidy for him to return to. As he entered, he noticed that someone or something had recognized the store's heat and finally turned on the A/C, which gave the sweaty boy a quick but nice feeling. He couldn't stick around for long though he had to head up and grab his backpack, which held his gloves before going to work. Luckily he didn't have to explain it often, but Arnold tended to enjoy the use of his gloves as he hated the tiny cuts and marks left on his hands from his labor. Making his way towards the store's backdoors and by extension the stairwell upstairs; Arnold noticed that at the end of the Dairy department frame, Sheen was hardly working, slowly handling the jugs of Milk that needed filling.

"Well hello ladies" Arnold sarcastically said, pretending to jell his hair back and walking up like some sort of model or movie star.

"Oh boy." Sheen began, his eyes now focused on the display. "What do we have today lady luck?"

Arnold blew into his lips, making a bubbling sound. "Oh man, don't tell me that nicknames going to stick…"

"You destroyed the appearance of the hottest chick working at our store by spilling a skid of pop, tell me how completely unlucky that is?" He said, finally turning to Arnold with a forceful look on his face.

"Okay that was…that was just terrible"

Sheen let out a noise as Arnold made that statement, which sounded halfway between a breath and the word "Ha" but Arnold was not amused. "That was just hilarious."

"Do you think she'll ever talk to me again?"

"Talk…" he said, scratching his chin and looking to the sky. "Yeah sure…get with?" he looked back to Arnold, his hand still placed on his chin "Never."

Arnold put his arms onto the cart Sheen was carrying the jugs on, and put most of his weight on it. "Oh gee thanks…"

"Don't mention it. Besides one day long ago my young grasshopper…that was me."

"Really?" Arnold asked, a mix of curiosity and humour in his words.

"No" Sheen shorted. "I never fucked up that badly"

"…great" Arnold sighed.

"I did screw up on occasion…" Sheen began "but a whole skid…"

"Yeah…" Arnold replied as Sheen slowly spoke.

"A WHOLE SKID" Sheen said again.

"Yeah."

"A WHO-"

"I GOT IT!"

"Well obviously you didn't get it because it still fell." He said tilting in towards Arnold with a massively twisted grin, batting his eyelashes like some sort of pretty girl.

Arnold put his hat over Sheen's face and forced it down real hard. "Whatever man…" Sheen simply kept his massive smile on, even as his eyes were hidden.

"Okay I'm sorry, I just needed to ruin that ego of yours…just a little"

"Yeah, yeah."

Sheen adjusted Arnold's hat, allowing him proper vision of his young annoyed friend and twisted it backwards in another bad attempt at humouring Arnold. "So we could converse about how easy breezy tonight should be with Isabelle running the show…if you could call it that."

"We could"

"Or I could show I do have SOME interest in your life and ask you; how goes your Reptar marathon?" Sheen continued, finally focusing slightly on his task and grabbing jugs individually.

"So bad…" Arnold huffed. "oh man when you're a kid and you see this it's like, WOW a giant dinosaur fighting against bad monsters again and again, but once you get old enough it's like…"

"How the hell did I miss his zipper?"

Arnold let out a snort of his own. "Basically yeah."

The discussion continued for another few moments before a customer walked up beside them "Um, excuse me" the older looking woman nervously asked.

"Oh hi, what can I do for you?" Arnold replied politely, while Sheen simply nodded at her.

"I don't mean to tell you to do your job" her voice now down to a simple whisper and her hand now out towards Arnold, moving with her voice. "But there are a bunch of kids with their skateboards rolling down some of the aisles and I can't really get around them…you wouldn't mind telling them to go away would you?"

"Of course not ma'am" Arnold's voice now stern and focused "they shouldn't even be skating in here."

"You want me to handle it man? I love messing with those kids" Sheen asked.

"No, no I got this." Arnold said, adjusting his hat to hide his eyes.

"Oh thank you very much" The lady simply smiled at the boys as Arnold stomped through the store, heading in the direction of the skateboards.

His shoulders moved from forward with each step, as he tried his best to look menacing despite his size. In the snack isle, which should've been the obvious choice for a bunch of kids three boys tried to pull off tricks while filming on one of their cellphones.

'_Oh man_' Arnold thought to himself '_so many things wrong with this picture_.' "Hey, guys!" he shouted, his arms and hands now outward at his sides. He tried his best to appear more disappointed than mad. "Come on? What are you doing?"

"Chill out man, we're just grabbing our stuff." One of the boys said.

"You're not grabbing anything it looks like, you're boarding in my store" Arnold replied, his hands now firmly placed on his hips.

"Oh dude, dude, dude" The boy with the cellphone said with a giggle in his words. "…he OWNS the store"

"Would you mind taking your stuff and getting out of here?" Arnold replied, his voice now deepening. He wanted more than anything for these kids to stick around, his nerves were already shot from the heat and his failures today…he needed something to take his frustration out on.

"We need to get our candy man. We need our fix you know?" The first boy said. "Our DRUGS man"

"I don't see you with a buggy. Or a basket." His words became sharp. He was starting to lose his cool.

"They're in our bag, jeez" The first boy said again, shuffling his bag over his shoulder to show it open.

"You…you can't do that!" His voice went up by a level or two. '_This is just…this is like Christmas…how can these kids be so…oh my god_'

"Can't do what dog?" the third boy said, finally getting off his board.

"All of this!" he roared. "You can't be boarding in here! You can't be filming in here! And you CANNOT be putting stuff in your backpack, how the heck are we supposed to know if you're going to pay for it or not!"

"Uh Sir." The second boy let out, his voice seeming overly geeky. "I'd like to speak with your manager please about an issue regarding your work habits" The two other boys chuckled under their breaths.

"I…I can't really do that right now…" Arnold finally let out a sigh, letting much of the hot steam out but not all of it.

"Well then we'll just keep shopping mister" the third boy let out, now getting back on his board.

"No you're not" Arnold stomped towards the boys, his arms firmly at his side and his hands nothing more than red fists.

"Oh shit!" One of the boys said as the three jolted towards the doors, leaving their bags behind.

Arnold continued to head down the aisle but after they turned the corner he stopped, finally recognizing that there was little more he could do. He took off his hat, played with his hair a little bit and finally took a moment to breathe. As a few seconds turned to a moment or two, he adjusted his head slightly to the left, noticing the bags left behind by the boys. There was probably nothing but junk food in them, but a little part of Arnold hoped the boys would return for the bags so he could further yell at them…or worse. Arnold gave the bag to the front reception and asked for them to call him up if the boys came looking for his bag, much to his pleasure he was told that the call for him would be the call for "security", making him feel more in charge. Alas time passed and the boys never returned and work got the better of the adrenaline pumping teenager. A few trips up and down the ladder, Arnold was successful in restocking what he could to the shelves and cleaning up the mess up things lying around, including the now lukewarm turkey in the aisle instead of the freezer.

* * *

On his next trip Arnold took a look at his phone noticing the time, it was almost eight o'clock. To him this night was half empty and not half full, it was less than three hours before he would see Helga, and that helped him forget the issues he had today. Though he tried to forget about the boys when Arnold sat down he saw what he assumed was their handiwork. His Aiderade drink, which he thought he had left beside his safety vest was missing. The weird part about it was that the drink was half drank and it seemed fairly pointless to take something no longer cold and filled with someone else's saliva. Once again his head started to branch off onto ideas to get back at those kids; the idea that it was anyone but these kids was beyond the hardworking teen. He worked for another half an hour or so before heading on his break, grabbing a full sized slushy that would last him through the rest of the evening from a neighboring coffee shop in the mini mall complex. Arnold never really explored the buildings of the complex though, apart from his store which stood on its own as a quarter of the mini-mall, and the coffee shop there was nothing else of interest to him; A 99 cent store, an Indian restaurant, a hair salon, an eye doctor, a bank and a closed down comic store.

He spent the majority of his break sending out text messages to his friends, though none of them responded in his fifteen minute time limit. He even wondered about contacting Helga, but almost worried she might cancel on him, he decided against it leaving his mind to wander on the idea of what they were going to talk about rather than confirming if she'll even arrive or not. The suspense left Arnold uneasy, but like a kid at Christmas he knew he'd have to bear with it just a little longer and all the while he would have things that would at least keep him semi occupied until she showed. As the fifteen minute marker hit Arnold made his way back over to the store with a mostly full slushy in hand. He took a quick peak to see how bad the carts were and upon confirming they would last another little while before needing to be tended to, he headed inside to continue working on his aisle. Time went by and before he knew it, it was past nine thirty and he would need to wait about an hour before punching out and finding Helga outside. He did let some of his crazier thoughts get the better on him though, as work was finally slowing down inside.

'_Maybe she's my sister…or like my daughter from the future here to toughen me up when I eventually have to face some sort of opponent?_' He thought while taking sugar from the pyramid back to the empty space in the aisle. '_She's had it pretty rough…and I feel for her I do…maybe I should just tell her the truth. Is it so wrong for me to try and crack her open like I tried to? Or do I just sit back and let her yell at me for an hour? That'll sure make some good soap opera material…_'

* * *

As ten O'clock hit the head of the cashiers announced the store was closing and that all customers would need to bring their purchases to the front so that they could close up. Now that all the carts were no longer coming inside, Arnold could make his last round trip of the carts and finish up for the night. He headed outside, put on his orange and yellow vest and locked up the front doors while trying to politely lead people away from the store. Upon heading over to the buggy corral, Arnold let out a deep sigh and a confused look. While it seemed simple enough to put carts in one after another and lock one cart to the next, someone had taken it upon themselves to place the carts erratically while still managing to lock the misarranged buggies and grabbing the quarters. Though Arnold had what he called his 'key' which made it so he didn't have to pay to unlock however many buggies he wanted, this was still a frustrating task. As almost ten minutes flew by, the corral finally emptied and he headed to the next one, which was in similar condition. Arnold grinded his teeth and almost pictured the steam shooting from his ears as his mind went to thoughts of torturing the boys he assumed were responsible for this mess. This wasn't seen physically though as Arnold put back on a calm face and worked on this corral. As he finished up, he looked over to the final corral and noticed a group of people mixing up the carts. It wasn't the kids but they were obviously screwing around.

"Hey! Excuse me!" Arnold yelled, making his way over to the dark corral. "What are you guys doing?"

"Oh hey stud, we're just making some art…" A familiar voice let out. As Arnold finally walked up he realized just who they were, he let a look of frustration form for them to see.

It was Terra and her gang.

* * *

So, I'm a bad guy and all but things aren't about to get any better. This next phase is all drama, all the time. It's painful and somewhat long but now that we've got past the introductions and the synopsis of the last few years something has to happen to get "Helga and Arnold" to "Helga X Arnold" and this story is about the beginning of that. I'm warning you all right now that this is all about the romance overcoming the odds, and as such you're about to enter an arc that spans a few chapters with almost nothing happy to look forward to unless you're interested in seeing whats next. If you thought that _Pride And Prejudice _or _Memo__irs of a Geisha _was stupid or overrated or too dramatic then this is in the same ballpark. I'll get into my reasoning as the chapters go through if you are mad or curious. Thank you for reading and please keep sending in your reviews I love to read them.

So what does an evil author do once he's given Arnold a "bad day"? simple.

You give Helga a "bad night".

See you soon.


	10. Helga's bad night

So I just noticed that I hit 1000 views and I realize some of you who are reading this are like "oh boy, it's this kind of person who thinks they are big because of 1000" well no I don't actually think that, but I'm impressed you know? I'd uploaded this less then a month ago and people are actually reading it. Some are because of randomly stumbling upon this and others because this story is posted on a facebook group but regardless you are here and some of you are staying and I appreciate that. So I decided I'd upload this a little earlier then usual because I was happy however this is NOT a happy chapter. With that said everyone needs to read this next line:

**The following chapter contains course language, violence and sexual content. Viewers discretion is advised. **

(Once again saying this: No actual sex is present in this story, there is however sexual themes and innuendo. You have been warned)

* * *

"Oh…are you serious? Terra what are you doing?" He said, throwing his arms out in anger.

"Oh come on pudding pop. If these carts are like a fine woman, who's being put down by a boring guy like yourself…" she said, walking her fingers up Arnold's shirt. "I'm sure they'd want to experience something other than the old in and out. So I gave it to them…Instead of a line, they're now an…" she turned to her minions snapping her finger as she pointed to each one, who for the most part shook their heads.

"S or a snake or a squiggle?" Sheen, the blonde haired boy replied.

"Yeah something like that." She said, nodding her head and turning back to Arnold.

"Carts are MEANT to be put in normally, can't you see that?" Arnold growled.

"Oh Ho, Ho! So being straight is normal now is it?" She hissed.

"Don't you dare…" Arnold shook his head at what he knew was coming next. He placed his hand firmly on his cheek, preparing for another ramble.

"Do you hear that guys? Apparently straight is normal and being other than that is ABNORMAL." Terra shouted.

"Maybe not all carts want to be straight Arnoldo, maybe some of them want to be like…squiggly or whatever" Another boy, Darren with brown hair the same length as Arnold's said.

"Do you care to make further allegations against the sexuality of carts Arnold?" The third boy, Vesper questioned, He was significantly taller with a goatee and straight black hair that went down his back. "I'd be very interested in hearing your argument"

"I…I'm not talking about this" Arnold tried to get by Terra, who let out a fake noise of pain as Arnold stepped beside her.

"Ow! Why'd you hit me Arnold!" Terra pouted.

"I didn't hit you! I walked beside you! I barely even touched your shoulder!" Arnold yelled, sticking his finger out at her.

"Hey calm down sir! This a public place!" Sheen said in the tone of an authority figure.

"I am calm! You're all here making a mess just for what? Some quarters?" Arnold roared, turning from person to person.

"For a bunch of quarters Arnold?" Darren let out a laugh. "Dude we have a cart key like you"

"So you did this just for what?" Arnold asked, not caring for the answer.

"Oh poor sweet Arnold" Terra purred, putting her arms around Arnold's waist. "Some people just have fun in other ways then how'd you expect. Sorry to burst your bubble"

"That's it!" Arnold commanded, squeezing both of Terra's arms turning and pushing her away. "Get the hell off this property! You're not even supposed to be here, you've done nothing but steal and mess up this store!"

"Oh we'll mess up more than this store." Darren commented as he stood up from his spot and walked towards Arnold. Terra meanwhile shook her hands, which must've been in some sort of pain from the squeezing.

As Arnold turned to face Sam he saw his opponent's face turn from innocent looking to pure enjoyment as he felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. A crushing pain suddenly came over Arnold as each of his nerves seemed to stop functioning and his voice disappeared. Gasping for air, Arnold slowly fell to the ground finally recognizing that he had in fact been kicked in his crotch and was unable to contain himself. As his hat tumbled off, Arnold saw the mass of legs around him come closer and closer. A ringing was present in his ears and his mind was focusing on trying to breathe again but he could still make out what he assumed was Terra commanding her troops to "have fun". Then a wild lash of kicks sprang out from the wicked teenagers who must've taken offence to how Arnold treated Terra, but more than that sought to ruin Arnold's night further. A barrage of pain came from each corner of Arnold, but he was barely able to feel some of them as his brain was still focused on the pain in his lower parts. After a moment or two of the kicking, Arnold felt something almost weightless fall on his stomach. As he finally opened his eyes, he saw that his work hat had in fact been ripped in two somehow and that his enemies were walking away. As his eyes shut again for just a moment he heard Terra's voice.

"Oh my god, do I have a present for you!" She said gleefully. Arnold however was unable to move to see what was going on. "Take a look at what we did for you"

With every bit of strength he had, he shifted his body onto his stomach and pulled himself to look and see Terra and her crew showing off the mess of a teenager Arnold was to Helga, who stood mouth wide open half way through taking off her headphones. He was unsure of what to do, but even if he tried he knew his voice wasn't going to make it far enough for her to hear so all he could do was slow his breathing and try to get himself up.

"I…What..." Helga tried to say, finally resting her headphones on her shoulders while music still blasted away.

"Here I thought you were ignoring me when you finally decided to check your emails and come my way tonight, and I'm so glad you did…this MAGGOT tried to hurt me" Terra commented with a look of disgust.

"He hurt you?" Helga muttered, still staring at Arnold.

"He practically ripped my arms from their sockets. For all I know he was trying to have his way with me…" She continued.

"Arnold…" Helga let out.

Arnold meanwhile was trying to get to his feet, but was unsuccessful. He used the side of the garbage bin attached to the corral to pull himself up his knees where he spat out some blood. He looked away from Helga and the gang, and instead his eyes remained focused on the sky while his mind drifted off into a deep dark place where that boiling rage in his chest took over. Helga took two steps forward while Darren critiqued the image of Arnold and the corrals as if it were a painting, while the others stood by and laughed at his wicked joke.

"Arnold…I came as fast as I could…" Helga let out, her arm reached out to help him.

"Forget it!" he roared, batting away her arm. "I'm sick of your stupid games…get the hell away from me" With that he finally got to his feet and stumbled away from the group. Helga shook nervously as she tried to come to terms with the idea that she was actually seeing Arnold mad, and not just mad; mad at her. Her outstretched arm followed Arnold, but her feet stood still. She wanted to go to him, but she thought in her heart of hearts that nothing she'd say would faze him.

"Well that was wicked. He's no longer going to bother you hun" Terra commented, walking up beside Helga.

"I…I…" but she didn't know what to say. Anger, amongst most emotions were gone from her mind for that one single moment.

"We're heading back to my house to party it up, come on we'll let the boy clean himself up this time" Terra put her arm on Helga's shoulder and tried to adjust her arm downward.

Arnold walked back inside the store, no longer caring about the carts or about what the managers would think as he wiped his mouth and nose with his arm. Nothing had ever disgusted Arnold as much as he was right now, the idea in his mind that Helga had intended for this to happen the whole time was something that confirmed an idea he thought was no longer relevant and no longer possible; Helga was simply a bad person. Helga on the other hand blindly went along with Terra towards her house, repeating in her mind the last few words of the person she cared for most. All she had known was lost in a single instant. Helga had lost Arnold.

* * *

Barely able to comprehend the flow of time or what was going on around her, Helga suddenly felt a cool object being forced into her hands. As if waking up from a long sleep she desperately batted her eyelashes, trying to get a clearer view of where she was. She was now somehow at Terra's house, a townhouse much like her own with what seemed like boxes of junk piled all around the place. As she looked around she noticed it was Lita putting some sort of alcohol in Helga's hands. It was a clear white liquid, that Helga assumed had some sort of German or Russian name but she didn't really care what it was.

"Take a sip, It'll calm you down" Lita said politely. Her eyes genuinely showed worry for Helga. Lita was short, with black hair similar to Terra's. The only real difference between the two were the piercings, breast sizes and the fact that Lita had hair down to her neck on both sides, whereas Terra had cut off half her hair.

"I don't…I'm not thirsty…" Helga whispered, looking down into her lap at the cold bottle.

"Oh girl, don't tell me you actually feel bad for that boy…" her hand now firmly placed on Helga's shoulder.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Helga tried to move the bottle away from her, but then another hand pushed it closer.

"Helga, it's a party!" Terra commanded "We've only got a month left till we have to go back to that shit fest, and I'm still a little annoyed you brushed me off on the weekend. Drink this up and it'll make me feel better okay?"

"But I…" Helga tried to say.

"But you what? You're underage? We didn't buy this, we're not out in public causing a mess. We're simply trying something that makes us feel better. Would you rather we go back to animal sacrifices?" Terra joked.

"Helga, we're not trying to hurt you. We're trying to help you escape from the shit you deal with" Lita said gently.

"Yeah, you're right" and with a last hard swallow, Helga accepted the life she had.

The cool gentle liquid filled her mouth, but it wasn't nearly as disgusting as she thought. It had a vanilla like taste to it, with a hint of what could only be described as creamy or frosting like afterward. As she finally let it down her throat she recognized the bitter taste of alcohol that had hidden itself beneath the tasty front she initially felt. The glass was still on the edge of her lips as Helga returned to reality, with both Lita and Terra staring her down to see what Helga would say next. She blinked once and looked to Lita, then blinked again and turned her eyes to Terra. It wasn't as bad as she thought, and at this point she was too numb to really care so without a second thought or a word or a noise, she tilted the bottle up and took another sip. Terra began a tiny clap between her two squeezed hands while Lita let out a quick cute smile.

* * *

Time started to fly by as the group paraded through the house doing different things. Darren was cooking up some chicken fingers, Vesper was enjoying a cigarette outdoors, Helga and Lita were in the basement watching a movie while Terra and Sheen were playing the Guitar Band video game on the TV upstairs. If it weren't for the alcohol, the party would almost seem tame but this wasn't the innocent little house that parents hope for. As Helga enjoyed her third beverage, no longer able to feel much she noticed that Lita was starting to fall asleep and she had no idea what was going on in the film. She looked at the screen as she saw a half-naked woman run around screaming, this was definitely some bad horror film. Suddenly the door creaked open, and the sound of Terra and Spike rocking it out could be heard coming from upstairs. Helga turned, unable to see who was coming down but heard the slow movement of someone.

"Hello? Who's up tttthere?" Helga let out, only functioning at half her usual self.

"What's up ladies" Vesper said, still smoking the end of a cigarette.

"Hey, that's against the law buster!" Helga blurted out, trying to swap at Vesper with her numb hand.

"Oh yes because you guys are so keen on following the rules…How many have you had to drink yet?" he said, sitting down on a chair near Helga and Lita's couch.

"I…shut up! Like I want to hear you rant on…"

"While I'd love to express my concern of your current state, I fear you won't remember half of what I tell you, so I'll simply say this. You're an idiot"

"I know…doi!…that's why I'm here"

Vesper let out a small chuckle. "Are you implying we're idiots?"

"No comment."

"I don't think that's very nice of you…nor is it logical"

"Well I'm not exxxxactly a nice girl" she said, swinging her bottle at him from across the room.

"Oh boy, the slurs"

"Wha?"

"I think maybe you should go to sleep too"

"Like I friggin care."

"Come on lady, time to go upstairs" Vesper reached out his hand, hoping she'd come quietly. But Helga just looked at him with little content or care. He headed towards the couch and grabbed Helga.

"Hey what are you doing!?" She roared, unable to stop his attack.

"I'm helping you upstairs!" He commanded, pulling her over his shoulder.

"Well aren't you tall dark and handsome type…" Helga said as she burped.

"I've been told I'm actually fairly attractive thank you" He slowly made his way up the stairs, barely phased by the weight of the girl on his shoulder.

The two made it up to the kitchen where Darren was enjoyed a gigantic sum of chicken fingers, more than most people could handle. As Vesper went by, unnoticed by the two dueling guitarists in the living room he noticed the sound of sobbing coming from Helga. He quickly made his way upstairs and into what looked to be a boy's bedroom and placed Helga on the bed where he saw tears coming down Helga's face.

"Alright kiddo, what's your problem" he said in a half caring tone.

"I just don't get how I screw up so badly…" she said, sobbing between her hands.

"And how exactly did you screw up? By being shouted out by that weak little guy?"

"He's not weak!" Helga roared, slamming her hands on her bed.

"Actually I guess your right…" he said, putting his index finger against his temple while studying his information. "He didn't exactly have a fair chance, or fair odds…but you can say that he isn't strong enough to handle what did happen…"

"Are you serious?! How can you guys enjoy that sort of thing?"

"Terra hates men what can I say, she needs to feel better than them. She might have gotten in a situation she couldn't handle, who knows what Arnold would've done so we stopped him before he actually hurt her"

"But he wouldn't hurt anyone!"

Vesper shook his head. "Not true"

"What?"

"He's obviously hurt you tonight. It was wrong of him to yell at you like that"

"It wasn't exactly the best timing on my part…"

"Well whatever the case you should forget about him"

"I basically have to now." She sobbed. I have no chance of getting close to any guys…I'm just a pathetic meat sack, a waste of space, a monument to all failures in the modern age…"

"Oh come on now, don't beat yourself up too hard"

"I'd do anything to turn back the clock. To be noticed, to have someone not leave…"

"What do you mean?"

"I just…I want to be wanted…"

"And you'd do anything for that?"

"Yeah…I don't want to be left alone again…"

* * *

Helga opened her eyes, noticing the swirling fan above her staring down at her. The blanket was sideways across her body, and her bare legs were sticking out from the covers. She blinked a few times, trying to come to terms with what time it was, as the room was no longer the dark place it was last time she checked. She turned her head towards the window, seeing the sun peeking out from behind the houses in the area; it must be sometime after six o'clock but not much passed then. After the lack of sleep Helga had been having over the weekend, she could easily recognize the time based on the shade of the sky. Her head was in pain, but not exactly pounding and her memory seemed to be scattered across the remaining images she had in her head of the night previous.

"Arnold…"she let out, reaching towards the window as if he was there.

She cleaned up her face from a little bit of dripping saliva and some gunk in her eyes while trying to figure out the weird taste in her mouth, then Helga came to a startling realization. She checked under the blankets to confirm it, she was fairly naked. All that was left were her socks and her panties, and all of her clothes were thrown across the room. She looked around as if hoping for some sort of an answer, covering her bare chest with the blanket in case anyone walked by the opened door to the hallway. She gathered her clothes as quickly as she could and rushed back onto the bed, making the blanket into something of a tent as she clothed herself. Before she put on her pants though, in complete embarrassment and fear she put her hand down to check for any signs that something happened last night. It had been a very long time since she was this embarrassed but she had to make sure. She felt around her crouch, hoping for any signs of blood or a mess of any sort but luckily she felt nothing. '_Oh thank god'_ she thought to herself, she didn't make THAT big of a mistake. She then scrambled to put on her pants and peaked out of the blankets to see if anyone was around; but the place was silent.

Helga slowly got out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway, still hearing nothing coming from downstairs. She looked in the master bedroom and saw two figures huddled up beneath the blankets, though it was impossible to tell who. In the next room over, Terra was sleeping in her bed barely wearing a strapless shirt and a thong with the covers off of her bed. A brief thought came into Helga's head that maybe Terra was in a similar situation to her, but then again Helga thought Terra was never one to care about who saw her in what way. Just in front of the stairwell was the washroom, which had an awful stench coming from it. In her curiosity Helga took only a step in before noticing the gruesome mess that was in the toilet. As she held her breath and headed downstairs she remembered that she had drank a lot the night previous, and feared that it was her that left the mess, which would explain the bad taste in her mouth.

On the main floor someone was hiding under the covers on the couch, and the TV was on but had a dark screen. Helga left it be and went to the kitchen where she heard noises coming from downstairs. She took a few steps down and let out a "hello" with no reply. As she made it half way down the stairs she finally noticed that this TV was also on but constantly repeating the DVD menu of the movie Lita was watching a few hours ago. Helga headed back upstairs, not wanting to interrupt Lita who was still lying on the couch asleep. As she went down the hallway, she noticed Vesper pulling himself out of his blanket and staring at her half asleep.

"Hey…" He let out, scratching his hair.

"Hey." She quietly replied.

"What are you doing? Going to head back upstairs?" he questioned, adjusting himself on his knees to see her better.

"No…no. I'm probably going to get out of here…" she said, half pointing her hands at the door.

"What about all that jazz about not wanting to be left alone…"

"Uhm…what?"

"You know…the whole thing about wanting to be wanted?"

"I…oh no…"

"Don't worry about it Helga. I don't care."

"What happened?" she pleaded, walking up to the couch and putting her hands on top of his.

"You were feeling lonely so I showed you that you were attractive."

"You showed me what?"

"Well actually technically you showed me how attractive you could be…you were proving yourself to me" as he said that her hands started to clench his.

"I what?" she began to shake worrying at what was going to be said next.

"You wanted to prove you were good enough, so you sort of helped me enjoy the night further"

"I…No…we didn't…" she backed away from him, her hands now on her face.

"No we didn't, YOU on the other hand went a little 'porn star' on me. I have to admit I didn't think you'd be like that"

"That…No…that's not me…I didn't…I don't…" she could barely come to terms with it, but as she realized what that taste was in her mouth now she began to cough profusely.

"well obviously that is you, if you'd like I'm sure I can get that side of you out again, but I warn you I'm not fully up to standard yet." He started to get out of the blanket revealing himself to only be wearing a T shirt and boxers.

"No…STOP RIGHT THERE!" she screamed.

"Hey lady, I am not trying to do anything to you, I'm just informing you what happened last night. I will admit though you sounded like you wanted to be taken advantage of…" he said, taking another step forward.

Helga didn't say another word; she simply scrambled to get up grabbing her shoes but not putting them on and ran out the door. She continued to cough and cry and wheeze as she ran down the baron streets, not knowing what she was going to do or where she dared to go.

* * *

There are some of you out there that hate _This _theme. You know what I'm talking about. That idea that Helga G. Pataki is having a moment of weakness but all things considered I think it works fine, but some of you may disagree. When I say moment of weakness I don't mean that Helga is some sort of sexual deviant, I just mean that she finally hit that point of not caring about anything if only for a moment...and now she is going to live to regret it. This is the opening of a new arc centered around Helga's lowest point, and it's going to be here for a bit but then we'll get away from it, lock it away, and never speak of it again. Okay actually we will speak of it again but just try and bare with me for the next little bit.

With that said what do we have next chapter? An important new character, a look into the mind of Helga and a better ending then this one...though not quiet perfect. See you around in a few days for Chapter 11: Dark Reflection.


	11. Dark Reflection

So this is my usual Thursday posting, but it also means next week might have a slight delay due to my schedule but we'll see. I really want to hear what you guys are thinking right now, I had a ton of hits when I first uploaded the last chapter and to be honest I was a little worried. The last chapter is pretty dark, however this one isn't as bad...but I mean that is all in the eye of the beholder right? I will admit I changed a key word in this chapter because it just feels weird to read it, but at the time it seemed worth it's placement but I'm not currently sure. Anyways let's dive into another chapter shall we?

* * *

Helga tried to carry herself as far as she could go as the sun continued to rise and the heat started to make its presence known. She had finally put on her shoes somewhere in the last hour or so but she refused to even look at her phone, and only saw a clock from a nearby store. By now it had to have been sometime after ten in the morning, but it was all in theory, and Helga wasn't thinking too much about it. The only thing that remained in her mind was getting somewhere safe. It wasn't that the city was necessarily scary to Helga, as she would usually be able to handle whatever came her way but she still wanted to hide from the cruel world around her. Every few minutes, as she tried to imagine the possible night that happened before she spat out what saliva she had in her mouth, wishing that it would get the sickening feeling she had out of her system. To her the comment Vesper made about her being like a porn star made her think of cameras and over the top speeches about men's "piece" and female desires and all the things that in truth Helga couldn't stand about the sex industry.

Another bus passed her by, but she wasn't sure she had the spare change to get on board, and worried that the bus driver would yell at her. Everyone that even remotely looked at her scared her, either she would picture people seeing her naked or with any weird or mean glares she would instead remember the angry look of Arnold when she saw him last. She no longer had any tears to shed, her eyes were hurting terribly and her headache was becoming more and more aggressive as the morning progressed.

'_I've sullied myself, I know I'm not perfect but I can't believe that I just gave myself away like that!_' she screamed in her head. '_Arnold I never meant for you to be harmed like that, I never imagined that something so cruel would be done to you, and by those I call my friends…oh how I yearn for the chance to go back in time and change all of that…_'

"_Oh come on old gal…_" another voice let out. Helga quickly turned, trying to find the source of the voice but apart from what appeared to be a homeless man across the street, no one was around. "_What you can't figure it out?_"

"Who's there?" she questioned, her heart was beating out of control. She needless squeezed her shoulders, as if trying to hide her already covered breasts.

"_Pu-lease…can't you see what's going on?_"

Helga continued to search, looking up and down and spinning around until she finally faced the only place it could be coming from; the store she was walking passed. As she looked, noticing no one inside she saw her own reflection but something was different about it, the look she saw staring back at her was much more contained then she thought she had on. The eyes were focused and controlled.

"_Found me_" Helga heard again.

"You can't be serious_…_" Helga said, slowly placing her hand on the glass. '_I must be going nuts…_'

"_Yeppers little lady, you're having a mental breakdown_"

"Not this…No please" Helga let out, shaking her head.

"_Aw come on, what did you think you could hide from me forever?_" her voice was so strong and in such a mocking tone, it was as if listening to a recording of herself from school, It was menacing, and terrifying.

"I'm not going crazy…I'm NOT!" Helga slammed her fist against the glass, hoping with all her might she would smash it. This however was not a movie, and so instead a jolt of pain lashed through her arm, as her knuckles started to gush out blood as a small scream shot out of Helga.

"_OH MAN, I didn't actually think you'd try that shit but look at this, you're so pathetic, so needy, so absolutely worthless…_"

"Shut up, please just…SHUT UP!" she screamed, her eyes trying to form tears with all the pain she had.

"Oh my gosh are you okay?" a stranger said, tilting down to see the bleeding young woman.

"I'm…just…no…please!" Helga pushed away the man, who looked at her in shock. The man was at least ten years older than her. He spotted a black shirt under a red plaid t shirt with the buttons undone over it. He had dark brown hair, with a fairly short and contained beard, with deep blue eyes.

"I'm just trying to help kid!" he said, adjusting his shirt. "I think I'm going to call 911"

"No! I'm fine, I was just…I was just on the phone, and got mad" Helga tilted slightly, trying to remove the phone from her pants to pretend she had it out the whole time.

"I don't SEE a phone"

"I put it back in my pocket…I swear"

"Who were you fighting with?" He asked. Helga tried to scratch the back of her head, using her injured right hand to do so. Before it even touched her head though, the man noticed her bleeding hand, which was grazing her blond hair with little dots of red. "Oh my god! are you sure you're okay?"

"Just my…my boyfriend…I'm fine"

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't have to deal with a guy who makes you feel like doing that!"

"A pretty girl?" she questioned, looking at him with puppy dog eyes.

He let out a sigh and put on a convincing smile "oh course. Don't tell me you think any different than that. Your boyfriend should be telling you you're pretty all the time" Helga started to recall some of the words Vesper said, but never anything about her being pretty just about how she acted. Though he wasn't her boyfriend, his actions indicated last night he would be fine with being more than that, but Helga wouldn't want anything more to do with him.

"You should go home kid, can you call your parents?" the kind man asked.

"They're out of town…" she lied.

"Alright, here" he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet grabbing what change he could. "Take this and grab a bus to wherever you can, I'm sorry I don't have a bill on me that I can spare at the moment."

"I couldn't dare do that…"

"Please. You just punched a window with your bare fist, is this really so hard for you to go outside of your comfort zone and do?" Helga realized how much had changed in the last few days, this was by far the least weird thing she could do.

"Okay…thank you so much"

"My name's Howe. What's yours?"

"Helga."

"That's an interesting name Helga. I don't think I hear it very often"

"Not exactly a feminine name…"

He snorted. "Doesn't mean it isn't an interesting one"

"Interesting is one way to put it"

"You a fan of music Helga?"

"I didn't realize there were people who weren't a fan of music"

"You're right" he chuckled under his breath. "What are you a fan of?"

"I'd like to think I'm a fan of most types of music…" She said, rubbing her arm. '_jeez this guy is…wait a second_' "please don't tell me your asking me out…I don't think I could handle more drama…"

"Oh no lady, I've got at least 10 years on you. Not exactly my type."

"Oh yeah…I guess you're right"

"I know we're just two strangers here, and I'm not a psychopath, but I've got this card here with my number on it. If you don't want me to call 911 I would like to hear from you when you're safe and sound at home. I don't exactly have to be a superhero to feel obligated to ensuring your safety…or knowing you survived the trip"

"I….I guess…"

Howe rubbed his temple, realizing how creepy he had just sound. "Or, Or…If that's too weird, and maybe you feel like going out with your boyfriend or some friends…I do bands, both in studio and on tour. If you ever feel like having a good night out, give me a call and I can find some music to your liking."

"I don't know if I could afford going to a concert…"

"I didn't say you had to pay, all you have to worry about is two things. One; making sure you get home and clean yourself up" He took a step forward and brushed the side of Helga's shoulder. "and two; make sure that when you're my age and you see someone in trouble, you offer them some change too"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because being a teenager sucks; and I'd like to help anyone get through that as fast as possible" he chuckled.

"That's a real generous outlook you have their Howe"

"Well thanks Helga, I came up with it myself. Now please, go to that bus stop at the corner and check out your hand, I do need to get going if that's okay with you, plus I feel a tad creepy" he said as he handed her a card.

"Oh no!" she felt so bad. "Please run along, I guess I'll…call you later?" she said, taking the card from his hand. '_I've gotta be completely bonkers to have said that. I'll call you later? What am I going to blow this guy too?! Get a hold yourself Helga!'_

"You do that Helga. Until next time sports fan" and with that Howe put his hand near his head, giving some sort of goodbye salute and headed in the opposite direction of Helga.

"_Way to go Howe, way to interrupt our bonding time" _the other voice said to Helga_._ "_He thinks we're pretty ain' that adorable, let me out and I'll show him how "cute" we can really be…_"

"I'm ignoring you now." Helga said under her breath, clenching the change she was given tightly.

"_Oh No! I'm soooooo lonely!_" The other Helga plead "_What ever will I do without you acting like a complete basket case in public…you really think you can get rid of me that easily? I mean I basically had a free pass to get out last night and OH MY did we get out last night_"

Helga shook her head trying to snap out of what she was hearing and turned to the bus stop as a barrage of innuendos were heard inside her head. To think that twice in her life a stranger would appear and help Helga out left her feeling just a little bit stronger. True she still felt extremely uneasy about the night before, but her body was coming to terms with it all, she no longer felt numb and simply ignored the pain in her head and her hand. After a few moments of wiping the blood off her hand and trying to get as much movement as she could out of her fingers, the bus arrived and Helga boarded. Howe had given her almost enough money for two bus rides, so no matter what she would be okay to go anywhere in city over the next few hours.

* * *

The bus continued for a good half an hour or so before it finally reached a familiar street for Helga to get off at. She was somewhat close to home but that wasn't where she intended to go either. She got out her phone, noticing that no one, not even her house had called to contact her anytime since last night but to Helga that typical lack of calls was normal. She clicked a few buttons on her phone and called the one place she hoped would answer. Again and again the phone ringed but no one seemed to be answering. Helga wondered if she should still try and head in that direction, but the realization formed that there was nowhere else she could be right now that she'd be comfortable at. As she turned one final street and made it into the neighborhood she peered to check if anyone in the house had their cars there, but she saw nothing.

The house was massive, three stories tall with a built in garage, much larger then Helga's home. With a sigh Helga dragged herself up the steps and finally rested her legs and behind on the cold wooden steps that led to the house. She wondered what exactly she would say when the car pulled in, would she tell the truth or would she simply ask to come in and be left alone about it? For that matter would she even be allowed inside the house? Her mind was filling with ideas and doubts. As the thoughts continued to pester the disturbed Helga, suddenly the door behind her opened up and she turned to see a middle age red headed woman in sweat pants and a t shirt come out with earphones in.

"Helga is that you girl?" the woman questioned, pulling her earphones out.

"Hi there ma'am, I didn't think anyone was home" Helga replied, putting her injured hand in her pocket.

"Oh darling you should've called"

"I actually did…"

"Oh I'm so sorry…I was making an energy shake, it's pretty noisy when I use that darn blender" she chuckled.

"Oh I see…Is Phoebe home?"

"Absolutely, she's just upstairs practicing her Violin. Please go in and see her okay?"

"Thank you very much Mrs. Heyerdahl"

"You're very welcome Helga. Now if you don't mind me I'm going to head for my jog, I'd like to keep my figure thank you kindly."

"By all means" Helga said, tilting her legs to let Mrs. Heyerdahl down the steps.

Helga then pulled herself up, feeling each of her muscles scream at her for doing so and headed inside. As she looked around, she heard a sound coming from upstairs and went to investigate. From the looks of things Phoebe's father was out and took the car, but still Helga was slightly annoyed that she didn't think to actually knock on the door. When she was almost fully up the stairs she finally recognized the sound of the Violin playing from Phoebe's room. It was something magnificent hearing each string move with Phoebe's delicate hand. She was a master of most instruments, and like the perfectionist she was she studied how to play each part of the song again and again before finally playing the full arrangement. Helga was luckily enough to hear her friend playing the full song, which sounded as sad as she currently felt. She creaked open the door to see Phoebe, with her eyes closed playing the sweet ballad in her room.

As the tune came to an end, Phoebe held close to her Violin as if she was still listening to something before finally opening her eyes and letting out a sigh of relief. To her, she had played the song as best she could and was finally able to relax from her own desire for perfection. Helga formed a small smile as her weight forced the door to open a little more alerting Phoebe to her guest.

"Oh my, hello there!" Phoebe said her cheeks now slightly red.

"Hi there Pheebs…that was…beautiful…" Helga, more awkward then her friend let out.

"Oh that…that's just a tune I was trying to recreate…" Phoebe replied, resting her Violin.

"You…did that without a sheet?"

"Yes actually…well mostly…there are several people online who put what they assumed some of the notes were down, I simply worked from that"

"You amaze me you know that Phoebe" A smile formed from Helga, but it was clear to Phoebe that she wasn't doing very well, her eyes were droopy and her hair was in a mess, and she was almost shaking.

"Helga…what happened to you?" Phoebe adjusted her glasses, noticing her friend's hidden hand. "Your arm, why is it in your pocket like that?"

"I just…I had an accident…"

"An accident?"

"Or two…"

"Oh no."

"or three…" Helga sniffed, once again almost forming tears.

"Helga!" Phoebe ran to her friend as Helga crumbled to the ground. She took out Helga's and saw the bruised skin and torn flesh. "Oh my god, Helga what happened?"

"Oh Pheebs…It was just so horrible" She began as Phoebe helped Helga to the washroom "…I went to see Arnold like you said and when I got there he was fighting with Terra, like legitimately fighting! And they all beat him to the ground and he thought I wanted that!"

"Oh Dear…"

"And he yelled at me and ran inside his store and then Terra took me back to her place to calm me down and then I started drinking…"

"Helga No!" Phoebe continued to pat Helga's back.

"Oh it gets worse. This stupid pile of bones you call a friend decided to keep drinking until I was so out of my mind that I…I…I…"

"It's okay Helga, I'm here"

Helga gagged for a second at the thought. "I think I did something nasty with one of the guys…"

"Did you two have sex?" Phoebe said as she started to bandage up Helga.

"No I'm pretty sure we didn't, but he told me this morning that I may have…tasted him…"

"Oh my…" Phoebe went over and grabbed a napkin, just in case Helga did vomit.

"And then he wanted to do it again and I ran from the house and I was trapped downtown and I started to…."

"You started to what Helga?"

"I just…I don't want to say it"

Phoebe went back down to Helga's level and started to let down Helga's hair from their pigtails. "Helga, there is nothing you could say that would offend me other then you NOT telling me"

"I started to hear voices…"

"What kind of voices?"

"It was me, but it wasn't like I could control it…"

"And your hand?"

"I tried to hit my reflection in a glass window, and it didn't work out so well…"

"Oh my god Helga, you poor thing"

"I only made it here because of some…guy…"

"Some guy?"

"Yeah he was…really nice to me…"

"Well I'll have to thank him later"

"Actually I've got his number…"

"Please don't tell me you're serio-"

"No sorry no I didn't mean that…he wanted me to call him up when I felt better…to make sure I got home and stuff"

"You didn't want to go to your house?"

"And face Bob's wrath? No thanks"

"I understand Helga."

"Oh Pheebs what's wrong with me?"

"Helga please, nothing is wrong with you…"

"there is plenty wrong with me"

"By the standards of society by a technicality yes there are things about you that don't exactly match the…norm but, but, but…that has little to do with your current situation."

Helga spat a bit into the toilet before turning to her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Well" Phoebe began, adjusting her glasses. "You simply appeared at a very inconvenient time where Arnold, who was obviously filled with adrenaline couldn't think straight and simply put the first idea that came into his head into words. Then you headed to try and make sense of the situation and although not the most helpful decision, like a vast number of people you felt that the inclusion of alcohol in your system would help ease the pain and because of your body's lack of experience with the substance, you easily were overwhelmed and thus your emotional side became very out of control and sought to further distance itself from pain, which led to the…sexual stuff…which isn't completely uncommon for a girl of our age, so don't think that it was completely insanely bad, and as for you hearing a voice, that could be an after effect of the drinks in your system combined with the fact that you were probably fairly unrested, feeling sick and unless you want to tell me otherwise…probably very hungry, but unaware of it because you had other things on your mind. It can all be logically explained Helga"

Helga blinked for a few seconds, waiting to confirm her friend was done one of her famous intellectual rants. "Geez kid…you sound like you used to back in grade school"

"That smarty pants Phoebe is still in there Helga, but I've toughened up and I've grown out of my shell. I know how to adapt myself. I'm at a perfect balance between a publicly relatable girl and the inner brainiac I grew up as."

For a second Helga was able to act somewhat happy and let out a small chuckle. "You're still a dork Phoebe…"

"And you're still hotheaded."

"I guess so…"

"So what happens now?"

"I guess I go home…"

"Helga for all points and concerns… this…this is your home. You can stay as long as you like"

"Are you sure Phoebe?"

"Absolutely" She said affirmatively. "Please, take the spare bedroom and rest Helga, you look like hell. When you wake up, we can check your hand out further okay?"

"Okay Pheebs…whatever you say"

The two girls walked from the washroom down the hall and to a large room put together by Phoebe's mom, which was dedicated to Kentucky, the place where Phoebe's parents met. It was fairly corny to Helga, but it never bothered her too much, and for now all she wanted to do was rest. As Helga lifted up the blankets and saw the inviting bed in front of her, she felt a warm set of arms wrap themselves around her. Although she didn't say anything, Phoebe was doing the thing Helga needed most right; giving her a sign that she was cared for. Helga placed her arms on top of Phoebe's and squeezed tightly for a moment before letting Phoebe pull away. Helga turned and smiled as her friend left the room and shut the door, leaving Helga to her own devices. Though it would probably be more comfortable to sleep without most of her clothes, Helga still felt disgusted at herself and chose to keep them on. With that Helga hid herself fully under the blankets and tried to disappear from the world.

* * *

That's a little better of an ending then the last chapter right? This also brings up Helga's worst enemy: herself. No I do not believe that the character of Helga Pataki is in fact...insane or with a split personality however I myself have been in similar situations as Helga, being awake for longer then 24 hours...or being drugged or drunk or whatever it may be...it does things to your psyche. Does this story have an "antagonist"? well several but at the same time none. Terra's gang for the most part are antagonistic towards Arnold, but they serve to push the plot forward, instead of moving with the plot...for the most part. Vio's actions are not good, he did take advantage of Helga however he isn't her enemy. Terra is a mean character, but she is basically the physical manifestation of Helga's "bully" persona if she was seventeen. Some of the things Terra says or does seems very teenage-angry-Helga, which is why the two are supposed to get along. With that in mind though, I'm not trying to hint that she has feelings for Arnold. Though maybe for someone else...

What's up next week? A bad dream, a little bit of physical activity (still no sex), and a not so happy ending...again.

All this and more in Chapter 12: Run away


	12. Run Away

Hey everyone. Wow the views seemed to have shot up since last week, jeez. So this chapter isn't as much of a happy ending as the last chapter, but it isn't nearly as bad as one might think it could be. We're about half way through the Helga arc, and I hope everyone likes how the arc ends. It was my birthday this week (Huzzah!) and so I'm kinda on a happiness high right now. Shall we begin?

* * *

"And do you, Arnold Phillip Shortman take Helga to be your lawfully wedded wife?" The mister politely asked.

A huge grin formed across the face of the twenty five year old man, who stared at his beautiful bride to be on this the most wonderful occasions. The room was packed with characters all around, new and old who had come to see the two they had all waited for finally join as one. Arnold put out his hand slowly, inviting his wife's hand to join him. Helga hid her face beneath her flowers and carefully placed her hand over his.

"I don't" Arnold let out, still with a pure smile across his face.

"I…Oh." The minister, like most of the crowd was confused at what they had just heard.

The bouquet of flowers made a loud banging noise as they hit the ground. The only words that could make it out of Helga's lips were "Arnold…" questioning the very nature of his behaviour.

"You want this fantasy to happen so bad Helga?" He asked his eyes now flaring up with anger, pulling away from Helga's hand. "Realize just how childish you really are."

"I don't understand…" Helga let out as she tried to touch him, only to see her carefully done hand was now small and unclean. As she turned to the mirror she noticed she was no longer wearing her gown, but instead a pink bow with a matching pink and white jumper.

"Grow up Helga!" Arnold roared as he went down the aisle by himself, throwing off his bow and suit jacket.

"Arnold please don't leave!" Helga shouted, trying to follow him.

As she ran down the aisle and out to the hallway, he seemed to move too fast to be caught the room continue to go further and further without stopping or changing. As she continued to chase him, she saw people standing on the opposite side of each window, mocking her as she passed.

"Absolutely pathetic Helga G. Pataki…as always" Rhoda said, adjusting her nails.

"AH HA! Helga got dumped! Helga got dumped!" Harold roared with laughter.

"Now ain't that a darn shame…" Stinky said, shaking his head.

"It's time for you to move on Helga, there's nothing left for you here…" Phoebe said with concern in her voice.

"Oh well…" Bob said, shaking his head and walking away. "We'll always get grandchildren from her sister."

"No…NO! I will not give up…I will not!" Helga shouted, trying to run as fast as he could.

"_Give it up little girl…"_ Another Helga said, suddenly appearing in front of the real Helga. This Helga instead looked similar to Terra, with a pink streak in her hair several piercings. "_It looks like reality has rained on your parade and guess what?_" she said, pushing the young Helga to the floor. "_There's no umbrella to keep you safe…_"

With a snap of her fingers the ceiling disappeared and thunder and lightning roared as the rain shot down on Helga. She tried to get herself up but the wind blew her back to the ground. The floor was no longer solid and instead a massive pile of mud that Helga was slowly sinking in. Desperately she searched for something hard to latch on to, but nothing could be found. In a quick jolt, she turned her head to see Arnold, now the three year old boy they were when they met, in his rain gear walking into the preschool without her, a very contrary image to her memory of that day.

"Arnold No! Please! Don't leave me!" Helga shouted out finally disappearing into the deep darkness of the mud.

"_It's okay princess…_" The other Helga purred. "_I'll find a new man for us to play with, you just relax in here for a while…_"

* * *

Suddenly Helga shot up from bed and took a deep breath. She was completely soaked in sweat, which was due to her body not functioning properly and the fact that the blankets were too heavy for her to wear her clothes in. She coughed a few times, worried that she somehow had mud in her system but nothing came up. After taking a few more breathes she fell back into the bed and turned to the clock on the wall, which featured a cowboy on a horse on it. It was almost seven at night and Helga could see the sky turning a shade of red from the not fully shut curtains. She adjusted herself upward, throwing her legs to the side of the bed and throwing the blankets to the side as she came to terms with the nightmare she had just had. When she looked at her phone, she saw that still no calls or messages were there for her to look at, time had flown by and no one had seemed to care where she was. Her bandaged hand was no longer throbbing, but moving her fingers was a hard task.

She scratched the top of her hair and tried her best to get the frazzled hair under control, while working to clean up the bed she had just thrown apart. After making the bed and checking the tiny mirror in the corner of the room to see if she looked any better than she was in the morning, she slowly opened the door and headed out into the hallway. For a moment she shut her eyes, trying to see if she could get a "better signal" from her ears but once again the house remained silent. It was almost creepy, the place was usually a fairly energetic one, between Phoebe's music, her mother's dancing and her father's fencing Helga had always found this place to be a lively one until the night came. As Helga continued down the hallway, she did start to hear some noises come from the closed door of Phoebe's room. She hid herself behind the frame and slowly went to the floor as she adjusted her ear to try and hear what was going on inside.

"Maybe I shouldn't have come." A male voice said.

"No, no…I needed you to come here" a female voice let out, it was probably Phoebe, but Helga was still to groggy to be sure.

"So she's just down the hallway?"

"Asleep like a baby. I've checked on her a few times but I'm worried about waking her up…"

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to her…I almost feel like I'm partly to blame"

"For what? Telling Arnold to call her?" Helga eyes widened to that statement.

"If I told him to call her another day…then maybe it wouldn't have got so out of control…"

"You did what you thought was best babe." Helga started to suspect it was Gerald in there, that or Phoebe was cheating on him with someone else. Interested in the conversation, but too nervous to interrupt Helga waddled like a penguin from one side of the doorframe to the other and slowly grabbed the handle as the two voices continued.

"She's never hit such a low, she's always been so careful to hide herself and she actually cried…she never cries…" Helga shuttered, so ashamed of her actions before but still, focused at the task at hand she turned the nob and opened the door enough for her to see Gerald and Phoebe at the other side of her bed talking.

"Damn…" Gerald let out, shaking his head.

"Has he said anything about it?"

"Arnold? The dude hasn't even told me he got his ass handed to him…"

"It's not like it was a fair fight, or at least it doesn't sound like one" she said, trying to defend Arnold.

"I know that! It's true whether I like It or not"

"Sorry…" Phoebe's head dropped to her lap.

"Aw, I'm sorry babe" Gerald put his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into him. "I'm not mad at you, I'm just as confused as you are…"

"You're right though, maybe you shouldn't have come I didn't mean for you to get caught up in all this…I just…"

"Phoebe." He pulled her head up to him, meeting her in a strong gaze. "You wanted a fresh perspective, and so you called up the best man for the job."

"You are the best man…" she said with a smirk.

"Damn right. I'm the best at many things…" he said, his eyes now becoming playful.

"And that…" she purred, placing her hand on his scruffy chin. "Is why I called you over…"

The two began a deep and passionate kiss that Helga could barely turn away from, as she hid behind the corner putting her head between her lap and placing her hands over her head began to scream internally at the situation that she was in. Still unable to form any tears, Helga simply squeezed in on herself, feeling every inch of pain before she was unable to take it anymore and let go.

'_Not even you can stand me anymore can you Phoebe?'_ Helga thought to herself. '_Even you betray my secrets to a boy…have I truly put you in such a position?_' As her head turned to the side where the door was, she listened in and heard the sounds of moaning coming from within. Helga's eyes opened again and she pulled herself over, putting her weight on her knees and hand as she peered in on the two lovers. Gerald had put himself on top of Phoebe, kissing down her front, which no longer was hidden beneath a shirt. Every few spots kissed, Phoebe instead let out a quick giggle as her hands rested firmly over his head, moving with him as he went further and further down to her belly. Helga had never in her life seen anything like this in real life, nor had she imagined her friend participating in such an act. Phoebe had grown into her own woman, and this was something for the moment she looked like she was enjoying. As Gerald moved back up upwards, kissing every spot again Helga wondered how she acted the night before, still unable to figure any of her memories out. It probably was nowhere near as gentle and romantic as what she was currently seeing. Her stomach began to feel sick as she thought about it, and her arm started to crumble as her head softly hit the ground.

Helga, without thinking spat on the ground and pulled herself upward finally getting on her feet and realized she should leave this place. She tiptoed down the hallway again and finally down the stairs, trying to be a silent as possible despite not hearing anyone on the main floor. Helga grabbed her shoes and slowly put them on as her mind wandered to where she would head next. When she grabbed the door, she tried to gently tug it open but for some reason the door would not budge. She tried again, gently tugging on the massive white door but still it would not move. With more strength she wrestled with the object, but again it refused to move. As Helga swore under her breath she looked to notice the door was locked, despite Phoebe being home. She assumed it was probably to further add privacy to the intimacy upstairs, but nothing could be confirmed. Helga unlocked the door, took a deep breath and pulled on the door, which flung open and banged on the wall. She took a deep breath and inspected the damage, but the wall seemed to be fine, it was more noise than actual destruction. With one last breath Helga took the door and started to close it behind her as suddenly something stopped her.

"Helga wait!" Phoebe commanded.

"Phoebe…" Helga turned to see her friend, with one hand on the door and another trying to adjust her barely put on shirt.

"What are you doing?!" Phoebe yelled.

"I'm…I'm going away…" Helga said under her breath.

"What? Where?"

"It doesn't matter, just far away from all this…"

"But your home is here" She said, now using her spare arm to try and grab Helga.

"This…this isn't my home…" she slapped away the soft hand, her face now full of anger.

"Please stay Helga…Gerald will leave…"

"Keep your lover boy. Keep all the great gossip material I told you about over the years Phoebe…" Helga went down the steps and looked around as if she'd see something of interest.

"No Helga, It's not like that."

"No?" Helga turned, her brow raised at her friend's statement. "Well it's becoming that" With that Helga started to walk down the street, leaving Phoebe at the door unable to come to terms with her best friend's departure.

* * *

Helga continued down the street and turned the corner trying to distance herself as her angry mask started to crumble away, revealing how upset she truly was. As she made some distance between her and the house, Helga sat on a bench and looked up to the sky as her eyes searched for something. As she tilted her back further against the bench, her wallet fell from her pants. Although she didn't seem to care about it, she motioned to grab the tiny black object. It was almost completely bare, apart from a few pieces of ID, a bank card and some change it wasn't exactly worth much. Helga took a look inside, counting the change hoping she was wrong before. Sadly this wasn't so and she was only a quarter short of what she needed to take the bus home. She looked through the pockets and rediscovered Howe's card. '_Wolfman Entertainment_' it read, '_business, recordings and concerts_' on the lower half. It was a long shot Helga thought, but she had nothing to lose.

"Hello?" Helga asked into the phone.

"Yes, Hello. Wolfman entertainment what can I do for you?" a male voice asked.

"Oh…I was looking for Howe…"

"Howe? Oh yeah, one second…Howe!" the voice shouted.

"I hope I didn't interrupt anything?"

"Oh No, no. Howe loves it when a female calls eh buddy?"

"Hey shut up!" another voice said, struggling to take the phone. "Hello? Howe Rohan here"

"Hi Howe…"

"Hello yourself"

"It's me…Helga?"

"Helga? Helga. Oh Shit…Helga!"

"Yeah…interesting named Helga"

"Absolutely! I didn't think you'd actually call. My buddies here have been saying I'm up for creeper of the century after my fiasco with you this morning"

"Oh I think you're further from the top creepers then your friends would leave you to believe" she laughed nervously.

"Oh please, like someone would be creepier then that?"

"Well it's not like you hid in a tree overhearing someone you like talking to someone they liked about their feelings for each other" once again nervously laughing.

"…You pulled that out of your ass too fast for that to be made up"

"Yeah…sorry"

"Hey no problem, so did you make it home in one piece?"

"Uhhhh…"

"Uh?"

"Not exactly."

"How many pieces are you in?"

"One…I think"

"So you didn't make it home?"

"It was hard to find…"

"How do you lose your home?"

"Well…when you don't really have one it's hard to lose it…"

"…Oh…"

"I…I do have a home…"

"By the standards of the dictionary you mean"

"Yeah something like that"

"I get that. It's getting sort of dark out, any chance you're going to find a home anytime soon?"

"I'm starting to doubt it."

"Okay, and you're not freaked out about talking to me about this despite only knowing me for about 10 minutes tops?"

"I'm not in a position to worry about the consequences of anything anymore…"

"No! It's not that!"

"What?"

"Sorry…one of my projects…thinks you're a little older then you actually are for starters…"

"Sorry I'm not a cup size or two bigger Howe…"

"Actually I'm more for thin pale girls with dark red hair, they're quiet feisty."

"Not all of them" she thought of the innocent Lila.

"I see…if you want to talk about stuff Helga, or hang out for the night then you're welcome over here."

"I see the address on the card, but…"

"But you're not sure where it is? If you have paper I could explain it to you"

"No It's that I'm…short…again…"

"Oh…well…Okay…where are you?"

"Uh…near the corner of Parkman and Matt road"

"Alright, I'm going to make a phone call Helga. There is a wonderful girl who is driving down here in the next half an hour, I'm sure she'd be happy to pick you up"

"Is she a feisty redhead?"

"No. Once again just a few years too young for an old man like me"

"Maybe you're shooting to high Howe"

"Maybe…Maybe, but to the point, are you okay getting in a car like that?"

"Well…I…"

"Be honest Helga, you've got nothing to lose here. I'm a stranger, I have no influence on your life, what you say to me will never make it anywhere that matters"

"Just between you and me…and to be completely honest…even if you were some sort of serial killer or rapist or whatever…I couldn't care…"

"Sorry Helga, I think you're aiming to high if you want me to meet those standards"

"Aw darn" she joked.

"She'll be there in let's say fifteen minutes?"

"Okay"

"See you in a bit Helga, stay frosty old gal"

"I'll do my best Howe…"

* * *

So two things I want to apologize for, the first being that a part of this chapter takes place on a phone which means basically its just back and forth dialog. The second being the change in how I write thoughts. I used to use quotations " " for them, but I've changed it ' '.

Make no mistake Helga isn't about to abandon her friendship to Phoebe, those two have an unbreakable bound but just for a moment things aren't going so smoothly between the two of them.

Up next we get a little more development from Howe and his gang, and Helga talks a tiny bit about her preteen life in another two part chapter. I'll see you guys next time in chapter 13 "Rock stars"


	13. Rock Stars

Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Wow we're getting close to 2000 views...jeez. This is actually the start of the second half of the story, and is also the first half of a two part chapter. Helga stands alone in a crowd of random characters who all play their part, some are plot devices and others actually mean something. Anyways enjoy!

* * *

Helga twiddled with her thumbs in a nervous spout, worried at what exactly was going to happen over the course of the next few hours. Her mind wandered with every passing car, wondering how weird it was actually going to be. '_Maybe she'll ride a hog_' Helga pondered to herself. ' _If she's a singer, maybe she'll have lime a limo or something, or maybe she'll be one of those people with a weird car like a pimped out hummer or like Jack Clash's spy car?_' as Helga's mind tried to ease itself within a simpler idea, time seemed to past a lot faster than it had all day. Before she was even able to picture half the scenarios in her head of this mysterious woman, a car came creeping up honking at Helga and flickering its lights. Helga went up to catch it as it slowed down, noting the dim windows on the side of this tiny red car, making it impossible for her to take a glance at the woman inside. Realizing the rush of cars going around her Helga was unable to worry for too long before cramming herself into the car. As her behind hit the soft cushions of the seat, Helga took a deep breath of relief and closed her eyes for a moment as she shut the door.

"Well hello there" A female voice asked.

Helga's eyes shot open in embarrassment, she had completely forgotten to say hello. "Oh Hi" she began, waving her hand quickly even though the woman would be unable to look Helga's way. Helga was stunned at how beautiful she was, her hair was just slightly lighter then Helga's was and was fairly curly. She had a perfect tan with some make up that blended in perfectly without seeing over excessive. Her eyes were hidden behind a set of sunglasses, which was a few sizes larger then they should've been. She wore a red low cut top with a black short sleeved jacket over top, with a set of dark blue jeans with a few rips in it. Without looking any weirder, Helga would be unable to get a good view of her feet though, but at the moment she was still in a state of shock.

"Hey honey, you want to put on your seat belt?" The girl asked politely. Helga noted the slight English accent, adding just a little more spice to this mysterious female.

"Oh yeah absolutely…I…wow…yeah" Helga shook her head trying to come back to reality from the staring she just partook in.

"Is something the matter? Er…Is something the matter at this moment?" the girl asked, tilting her face slightly to Helga but with the glasses it remained unclear if she was actually looking at her.

"Oh no…I'm just…you're just…"

"I'm just what?"

"Are you sure you're not a model because I'm pretty sure I'm straight and I can't help but bask in just how gorgious you look." Helga suddenly shot her hand up to her mouth, stunned at the words she just chose to you.

"Thank you darling, I mean it. I'm Lisa by the way" her hand stretched out, revealing her strangely normal hand to Helga. No extended nails or glitter or anything.

"I'm Helga"

"You seem to leave quiet the mark on my friend Howe you know"

"Yeah…" she sighed. "I don't exactly feel the best about myself right now, and the situation I put him in"

"Oh come, come now. All I need you to answer is one thing and I assure you, you'll have a good time"

"And what's that?" she asked as the car stopped at a light.

"I just need you to tell me straight to my face" Lisa began, removing her sunglasses from her face revealing her beautiful brown eyes. "Are you using my friend?"

Helga blinked a few times, but tried to not shy away from Lisa's glare. With a deep sigh and a moment to ready herself, she looked back at Lisa with a strong look. "Yes, I am using Howe but I'm not proud"

Lisa looked confused for a moment, almost as if she didn't understand. "Are you…sure? You…that look…" She suddenly noticed the turning light and redirected her attention to the road.

"What? I'm trying to be honest" Helga crossed her arms and looked to the window.

"What are you using him for Helga, not many people would flat out say what their intent is and from your look, you just…you don't look like you're on the same page as me…"

"I'm using you for a ride to take me to a person who doesn't need to hear my problems just because they randomly showed up when I had a fit in the middle of a street…so I'm using Howe to try and figure myself out…"

"OH! NO! That's not what I meant Helga…that's very kind of you to be forward like that but what I meant was well…I thought maybe you were going to try and move in on him you know…like that and then…"

"Oh? Oh. No…I'm no…sorry, I'm not interested in him at all, and I've never found any common traits between me and a Temptress of any form."

"We'll that's good to hear Helga, because if I thought for a second you were here for money or to kick start some sort of singing career, I'd kick you out here"

"Oh" Helga shot out. "Well I'm glad I didn't give you that impression" she laughed nervously.

"We'll be pulling up the place in about 5 minutes or so. If you don't mind I'd like to listen to some music, anything else I can do for you before I rock out a little?"

"Well…not to sound weird or anything" Helga then placed her hand behind her neck, rubbing it in embarrassment. "Why aren't your nails done or anything?"

"Oh simple." Lisa stated. "I'm a bassist"

Lisa pulled down the windows and let out the loud sound of her heavy metal music, which Helga simply bared with because she had to. Like an excited dog, Helga put part of her head out the window, but her look was instead that of a scared child pulling up to school. The sun had finally set, and the sky was getting darker as some of the lights around the city started to turn on as the duo drove by. Eventually they turned into a parking lot at the back of a long one story building. The parking lot wasn't very large, and currently only housed about six cars, scattered through the lot. As Helga got out of the car and looked around, she noticed that Lisa was following the music as it hit the last few beats, refusing to get out of the car or turn it off before the song was finished. As the song ended, Lisa yelled out with the lead singer "Yeah" over the course of several seconds before the car and everything in it became silent. Lisa walked out and looked over to Helga who threw a quick smile her way, which Lisa did in return. They headed in through a set of glass doors with a sign above it stating this place was in fact _Wolfman studios_. They turned a few corners and before long found themselves in the office of Howe, who was sitting at his desk signing a few papers as Lisa knocked on the wall.

"Good evening my liege" Lisa jested.

"Well hello there. Two ladies for me? What is this my birthday?" Howe replied, throwing his pen away.

"Oh not tonight I'm afraid, I'm off to get my real man thank you very much." Lisa said as she pointed down the hall.

"Absolutely." Howe turned to Helga and raised his arm towards a chair. "Helga, Helga, Helga. What am I going to do with you?"

"Uhh…" She tried to think as she headed to the seat. "Nothing to revolting I hope"

"Well…at least you're HOPING bad stuff doesn't happen"

"I guess so…"

"So what can I do for you?"

"I honestly don't know, I just had to get my mind off my situation and decided to call you…"

"You made the right decision. I'm not about to feed you to the dogs of the city"

"No you're saving her for yourself wolfman" another voice let out behind Helga. Helga turned to see a punk looking fellow in his twenties wearing jeans, a few chains through his pockets and belt, sporting dark red hair around the same length as Arnold's except he had paler skin.

"Alex. Good to see you're feeling a little better" Howe stated. Helga simply stood there with a worried look on her face.

"Oh hey kid, I swear he doesn't bite. You're not his type" Alex affirmed.

"Yeah…" Helga barely said. "But…" She turned to face Howe, raising her brow. "Isn't he…YOUR type?"

"Oh boy" Howe huffed.

"Oh man, not this again" Alex said with an added laugh.

"No. I do NOT have a thing for my cousin…" Howe said, placing his arm on the table and putting his head on his hand.

"Your cousin?" Helga asked.

"Yup. Alex here is my cousin, he's the lead singer of the band '_The Lunatics_'" Howe said, pointing to a poster of Alex, Lisa and a few others.

"Ever heard of us? We play all around town" Alex questioned as he sat in couch on the side of the room.

"No I'm sorry I haven't…I'm not into most modern stuff…" Helga said apologetically.

"Hey no worries kid. You're Helga by the way right?"

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you"

"Interesting name you got there Helga" Alex said with a smile.

Helga squeezed down on her brow and turned to Howe, giving him a look of annoyance. "Did you tell him to actually say that?"

"I swear by all the gods on Olympus that I had no clue he was going to say that" Howe insisted, his arm raised as if he was taking an oath.

"No man, the dude paid me to say that." Alex said with a straight face.

"How much?" Helga asked, now forming a slight smile at what she assumed was a joke.

"Uhh…" Alex shook his head from left to right, with his eyes focused off in the distance. "About 20"

"That sounds realistic" Helga replied.

"Yeah, like I'd give you 20 bucks to make a comment I made to her earlier" Howe said with a distasteful look.

"Alright, alright, whatever. You sticking around to hear us play Helga?" Alex questioned.

"No, well I mean…I could?" She was unsure of what she was doing here still.

"First of all, I want Helga to explain to me why she's having such a shitty day and then we'll let her hear your shitty band" Howe commented.

"Dude your managing us, how can you say we're shitty" Alex asked defensively.

"Shit sells Alex" Howe remarked with a smile. "Shit sells"

"Are you sure you want me to blab on to you? I don't really think I should…" Helga said, no longer looking happy.

"Helga, someone told me once something I always keep with me; everybody needs to talk. No one can hold in the shit they've got going on, and every once and a while you need to vent out to someone"

"Like a boyfriend or something…" Helga said under her breath, remembering Phoebe.

"Absolutely, but once again…we're not doing that thing" Howe commented.

"Okay well…where do I start…"

"In a faraway land a long, long time ago?" Alex joked.

"Dude you keep your mouth shut and let her talk" Howe growled.

"Okay well…I've liked this boy for a long, long time but I treated him really badly in school because I didn't want him to know how I felt and then one day on a school trip things sorta…changed…we were running aw-" Helga worried about how much to reveal, knowing it would be simpler to cut some ends of the tale. "running around and he nearly fell to his death…and I saved him. When we finally settled down he told me…_'Helga, no matter what happens'_" Helga remembered Arnold saying years ago, to her it was as if she had just heard him say it. "_'You're always there for me, and I want you to know that I'm…I'm going to be there for you to, I'll always be around to make sure that if you ever need my hand…It'll be waiting to grab yours_'…And I believed him…" Helga stated. She put her head between her legs and placed her arms on her legs holding her head in place. "Then he decided to move away, to where his parents were…and I was alone. He didn't stay at all, he just vanished. He tried to stay in contact with me but I was heartbroken. I realized that the only way for me to get by was to forget him, and embrace the image I had made for myself…"

"Which was what Helga?" Howe asked softly.

"A bitch. A huge fucking bitch. So I met friends, who similarly hated school and the crowds and the teachers and everything, I even almost threw away the only other person who cared about me, my best friend…but I found a balance with her eventually. Then High school came and Ar- the boy returned. The image I had made for myself, this bully…this…public menace I had become, was all I knew…"

Alex snapped his fingers in excitement. "Holy shit you're Pataki!"

"What?" Howe asked in confusion.

"This chick right here? Man her and her crew did some messed up shit when I was in Hillwood High" Alex roared, half laughing the whole time.

"You went to Hillwood High?" Helga questioned.

"Yup, it's where I met Lisa. You actually messed up that guy Wolfgang once, screwed up his football game majorly, it was hilarious" Alex laughed.

"Can we get back on topic?" Howe said with a sigh. "Go ahead Helga"

"Well yeah…in grade 9 I tried to build a name for myself, but then the boy tried to push his way back into my life and I threw him off by being as mean as I always was, I was never physical but it was mostly mind games and stuff. In grade 10 it didn't seem to matter as much, and I started to not like who I was and by this last year of school? I hated who I was more than any other student. Then summer hit and just a few days ago this boy-"

"Can we please get a name?" Alex asked, letting out a sigh.

"Shut it man, It's her story" Howe defended.

"No, no It's okay. His name is Arnold…please don't tell me you know him Alex" Alex simply shook his head. "Okay because well he was the nicest guy I ever met. I met him at the first day of preschool, where after I had gone through the rain and muck by myself to get there he came up and offered me his umbrella and told me that he liked my pink bow…" she sniffed, trying to not cry. "It's so dumb but I built my life around that stupid bow, and trying to secretly make him happy when I could. He said I looked good in pink, and so my simply enjoyment of the color became most of my wardrobe. Then when he left, I stopped wearing the bow and I haven't worn it since. So…he found me the other day walking around, and invited me to dinner. I was hungry and couldn't think of an excuse so I went with him, and I had a blast…and we ate and we talked and then…we danced. As soon as the song ended though, I freaked out…I was starting to fall for him again and I had almost let him see who I was…this messed up teenager, so I panicked and left. He called me up yesterday and wanted to talk, but when I went to meet him he had been ambushed by my so called friends and he thought I had…I had actually planned it like that"

"Jesus" Howe said, Alex simply whistled.

"And even though they were the issue, I was so upset with the idea of him being mad at me that I went with them and got drunk and…Ugh. I did stuff with a boy…"

"With some random boy?" Alex questioned.

"No. I know him, he's just…he thinks he's better than everyone else and I was damn drunk I thought him stating his knowledge about the issue was him actually caring, so I did stuff with him and when I awoke the next morning I left in a hurry and tried to find my way home…and I slammed my hand into a window because I was actually arguing with myself about what would be acceptable to do next…then you came along Howe…and almost as if you were that same boy with the umbrella you saved me…from myself. So I took your money and went to my best friend's house where we checked out my hand"

"Which isn't broken?" Howe asked.

"Which I don't think is broken" Helga assured.

"Okay" Howe stated.

"And so I slept until about an hour ago, when I overheard her and her boyfriend talking about me, and she actually admitted to having talked to Arnold about me so I did the thing I seemed to be best at…I ran away. Now I'm here…"

"That's fucking harsh Helga" Alex said, shaking his head in disgust.

Howe scratched the back of his head and adjusted his hair. "So in order for this fiasco to get better it boils down to two things Helga, one…you getting a good night sleep and checking on your arm, and two? You talking to Arnold"

"He hates me though!" Helga yelled.

"He doesn't hate you…he's just mad I bet"

"And that's terrible!"

"It's bad yes…but it can be fixed"

"Things cannot be fixed, I'm screwed…"

"Hey kid" Howe said, standing up straight and looking fairly menacing. "I've been around the block a few times myself you know, things weren't always great for me"

"So what the girl of your dreams came back to you?" Helga huffed.

"No." He replied, sitting back down and succumbing to disappointment. "She didn't"

Helga swallowed hard. For a brief second she wondered if what Howe was saying was true; did it mean the same for her and Arnold? and on top of all that how could she be so rude as to not consider Howe's feelings like that. "I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean it…"

"When I was your age…I was a socially accepted guy, not popular…but everyone liked me or so I thought. I didn't have any plans for the future, I just wanted to live in the now. I met a girl while doing a project, a girl who didn't care about the social aspects of school or anything…she wasn't hot or whatever term we called the popular girls back then, but she was beautiful in her own way. We worked on a project, and we hung out and we eventually got together. We dated, we made love, we graduated together and we almost made it to post-secondary…almost"

"What happened?"

"Well at a book store one day, she met a guy. Within an hour of talking to him, she fell head over heels for him. It was…insane you know? What could happen in such a short amount of time that would lead her to go bonkers like that, I still don't know. So she dumped me, and within a week she was fucking the guy, and treating him like he was her soul mate, something she had told me…"

"Wow…what a bitch"

"That's not the point though. I waited for many years, I mean…I dated yeah…but never with my heart into it. It was all just a facade to get through my pain. We met up years later, never single at the same time and we talked on occasion and no matter how much I craved to hear that thought she made a mistake, it never came up. They did break up, fairly early on…so that made me happier than any so called girlfriend I had during college, because he couldn't be her soul mate, he was just some fuck who I hated. I spent two years dreaming as often as I could ways to torture or kill him for somehow hypnotizing my girl away…but nothing ever came of it. Eventually I met a wonderful woman, who I married and now is having my child...but I know what it feels like Helga, to feel like nothing else can make you feel good…"

"So where is she now?"

"There was once a part of me that wanted her to have a bunch of kids and get fat and divorced but not many more, I don't care…why should I? Luck has an interesting way of catching up with people, and if the way she hurt me did catch up with her, I don't know about it."

"I see…"

"Helga, if I were this guy Arnold? I would probably be very confused about you, I mean you've misled him all his life and now fate just didn't have it in the cards to let you two have your time to talk, but after all this time do you think it'll come down like this?" Alex asked.

"Yeah…I do"

"Helga, No." Howe interrupted. "I waited for many years hoping to hear my ex tell me that she made a mistake, that she was wrong. It would've been more influential than her actually coming back to me. I think I'm a strong guy Helga, I think I honestly would've taken her back…if I had that chance. It takes a stupid guy to be saved and not have some embedded feeling of debt or connection with their savior, and I don't think you're a stupid girl who falls for stupid guys…"

"Thanks Howe…"

"I mean in all seriousness Helga?" Alex let out. "You do have some blame in this story, but not nearly as much as you think. Life just has an interesting way of moving things around, and in the end guess what? Things will work out however they'll work out. I'm sure that whatever powerful god decided to make you part of Arnold's life for so long wasn't just going to drop you with a hat, though at the same time maybe you two weren't intended for each other…but you have to find that out with force…you've gambled for too long on an outside force helping you two get together"

"But what if he rejects me?" She sighed.

"Then…we'll talk when we cross that path…" Howe said.

"Or you could get a therapist, just saying" Alex mentioned.

"I do…sorta…just not past five at night…" Helga commented.

"Helga…" Lisa voice said softly at the door. "Sometimes for a story like yours to keep going, you could use a little assist here or there from the people around you. The people who love both of you, and maybe even the idea of you two being together. That friend of yours may not have intended to back stab you or anything by talking to Arnold, but just wanted to get things back on track"

Helga turned and nodded to Lisa, she knew she was right."Do you really think there are people out there who want us together?"

"I'm sure of it." Lisa said with a smile "I didn't mean to listen in though, I was just wondering when we can start playing together?"

"It's probably going to be a little while before I can get over there okay Lisa, just practice for now please?" Howe replied.

"No, no…its okay…maybe hearing this so called bad music might make my situation seem less terrible…" Helga joked.

* * *

So that was a biggy wasn't it? a lot of talking and such but because of that we're finally past the point of explanation, we no longer have to go back and visit everything that's happened before hand. I guess in a way this is the recap episode that everyone despises. I like what I wrote here though, because it all goes back to why I created this story originally. I found the show after suffering a major break up, and I thought that maybe if someone like Helga and Arnold could be together then I'd find my own Helga and interestingly enough I did. I met her after I wrote most of this though, but I feel like she'll influence any possible sequel I make. Anyways the next chapter is once again somewhat nice and features a little more music and such and ends on a note that everyone will hopefully enjoy.

So I guess I'll see you next week in chapter 14: "Happy Together"


	14. Happy Together

Hey everyone, wow 2000 views! Thank you so much for continuing to read this. What do we have today? the final of the Helga arc which ends on a note hopefully people will like. I've been toying with the next chapter to make sure it is well worth it, but that is up to you guys. Enjoy!

* * *

"Oh of course, I'll just play some emo tunes and I'm sure you'll feel tons better" Alex said with a stern look on his face, it was apparent he wasn't amused by Helga's joke.

"You play emo stuff?" Helga raised her brow.

"Not really, I mean we play some emotional stuff but not like…depressing stuff I'd like to think…" Alex replied.

"He has some solid lyrics and a nice backup thanks to Lisa and the gang" Howe mentioned, getting off his chair. As he raised Helga and Alex did the same.

"How many in the band?" Helga asked as the group headed down the hall.

"We've got five members, with the occasional back up. Howe, while not a main member tends to come in to do stuff extra stuff like Violin tracks or remixes" Alex stated.

"That's really cool…I think music is one of the only artistic things I don't do well at. Surprisingly enough my friend Phoebe plays well enough for the both of us, despite her being more of a logical person." Helga's thoughts went back to Phoebe playing earlier in the day.

"Well as much as it is an art form, some people can see the…numbers I guess…I mean if you create music, it's definitely uses creativity, but if your simply playing famous songs then you're simple trying to recreate someone else's creative work"

"That's an interesting way of putting it…but I'd still like to hope she has a little bit of creativity in her you know?" Helga sighed. Her friend was only a phone call away, but she didn't have it in her to talk to Phoebe after the way Helga stormed out.

"Come on we're almost there" Howe mentioned as they turned another corner.

Alex and Lisa however took a turn through another set of doors, which a confused Helga continued to stare at while she walked further and further from it. Before she could get a word in to Howe about it, he invited her into another set of doors. Upon entering Helga noted the entire room was made of equipment and computers and glass windows that peered in on the large room Alex and Lisa entered. It was just like something out of a movie, Helga thought. There were enough chairs to sit nine people, five in the front row behind the set of keyboards and controls, where Howe sat in front of and then behind those tables was a platform that was about a foot or two above the rest that had a smaller table with some computers on it and housed another few chairs.

"You can sit wherever you like Helga" Howe said. Her eyes however were more focused on the other room where Alex, Lisa, and three other guys stood around their own instruments. Each of the other three males had different colour hair, a blond playing the guitar, the black haired man playing the drums and the dark brown haired man sitting at some sort of synthesizer.

Helga finally took the seat next to Howe and looked into the other room, where she could both hear and see Alex and the gang discussing what track they wanted to play next. For the moment, Helga had completely forgotten about everything else in the world and actually took an interest in what was going on around her. Howe started to fiddle with the controls, typing in commands on the computer looking console and adjusting some of the nobs on the other equipment while murmuring something under his breath.

"Okay guys we're ready to go. You've got this booth for about two hours or so…make 'em count!" Howe shouted into the microphone. He turned to see Helga staring back at him and smiled briefly. "Here" he pointed the mic to her. "They can't hear you unless you talk into this, try it"

Helga tilted her head over and adjusted her hair as Howe pressed down on the button which she assumed meant it was on. "Uhm…don't sound…like…crap?"

"Oh geez guys that's a good idea" Alex said in a cartoonish voice, while making a stupid face. The others simply followed him by agreeing in other cartoonish tones.

Howe tilted the mic away from Helga for a moment, nodding to her in approval. "So whatcha playing for this fine young lady?" He asked.

"Actually we were thinking of starting up with some "happy together remix" just to get into the swing of things if that's okay?" Alex asked.

Howe looked over at Helga, tilting his face to the side and shrugging his shoulders. "What do you think?"

Helga opened her mouth and let her eyes wander, not seeming to know what exactly to respond with. "Eh?" was what she came up with.

"Okay, The Lunatics test 1, July 26th. Go ahead" After a quick pause, the boy started up on the guitar and started to play the beat of the familiar sixties song. Within a quick moment another player began on the drums, and the bass followed silently in the distance, leaving the guy on the keyboard to wait patiently for his turn.

"_Imagine me and you, I do…I think about you day and night…it's only right…to think about the girl you love…and hold her…tight…so happy together…_" Alex began, while everyone else in the band except for the blond haired boy played their instruments. The blond haired one looked almost bored, or seemed to be waiting for something. "_If I should call you up…invest a…dime…_" the sound of the song started to get to Helga though, as her heart started to beat faster and faster at the reminder that everyone she cared about could be so close if she tried. "_…and you say you belong to me…and ease my mind…imagine how the world could be…so very…fine…so happy together…_"

Helga put her head in her lap and looked to the floor, knowing how the rest of the song would go about the happy couple that Helga thought she'd never be like. "_Imagine me and you…_" another voice began, Helga now unfamiliar with this part squeezed down on her brow and tilted her head slightly, trying to recall the lyrics to the song. "_I do. But I'm studying how they toss the dice…it'd had to be simpler back in the back the day when are folks were pretty sure they could find someone, now none of its assigned, we just want to date whether deaf blind or dumb…_" Helga looked to see the boy who was bored now singing into the mic. "_I look at your number and wonder if I should call you up…and invest a dime…in a message with text that doesn't belong to me…but it'd ease my mind…to know if the song I'm singing are in the key…that you can comprehend…in tune with the thoughts your pondering…if so we can both stop if and…we can be together like Donner and Blitzen_"

Helga tilted back on her chair at amazement at what she was seeing, it wasn't exactly her style to see rap performed but there was a poetic taste to the way it was written as oppose to most modern songs. "Wow that's amazing…" Helga let out with a tiny smile.

"Sadly it's not their idea, but Alex certainly loves the song…" Howe said, nodding his head along. "You know Helga, you said you're worried about some voice in your head right?"

Helga slugged down at the reminder of her other half. "A little more than worried frankly"

"I don't know you, and maybe you've got a whole bunch of mental health concerns but if your anything like me, you shouldn't worry so much…I have a voice in my head too…it was always loud and obnoxious but people like my ex shut it off…when she left me…I honestly thought that I'd let it take over, but It didn't…well not all the time…" Howe let his head fall before picking it back up again, now with some of his hair hiding his face. "Just between you and me and this sound proof room, I used to own this cat and when she left me I would hold this little ball of fur who wanted to help me feel better…and I heard myself think…to squeeze it in rage until it died…I was disgusted with myself…it never happened but I sometimes ran away from the cat in fear I'd hurt it…"

"The voice in my head…she's like this other me…she wants to ruin everybody's day and like…party…she isn't me but the feelings she has is like…an extension of how I feel sometimes…" Helga fiddled with her bandaged arm, checking to see if it still had a tight grip around her skin.

"That's not completely bad Helga, to enjoy things like partying or drinking or well…doing stuff with boys…" Howe looked at the band, keeping his eyes away from hers after that embarrassing last part he wish he didn't mention.

"I guess it isn't but…not like last night…never like last night…" Helga tightly squeezed her injured hand, hoping to feel the sensation of pain.

"And that's very mature of you Helga, to recognize where the line in the sand has to be drawn…"

"I guess so, only a few people have ever called me mature and they tend to be the most helpful people I know…but I still don't feel very mature…"

"Well I see a fairly mature minded girl…still a little young but fairly mature in the head"

"Oh geez thanks…" Helga brushed a loose hair from the front of her face away, now with an annoyed look on her face.

"don't mention it." Howe finally turned to Helga, who was now looking at the band instead of him. As he stared at her, he noticed something glowing in her pocket. "Hey Helga…I think your phone is buzzing?"

"Wha?" Helga tilted to see the glowing phone in her pocket, which for whatever reason wasn't buzzing. She pulled it out of her pants and looked to see the name '_Phoebe's cell_' flashing across it. Her look once again shifted from slightly confused to panic.

"Who is it?" Howe asked.

"It's my friend…"

"The party hard friends?"

"No…the good one"

"You should talk to her Helga"

Helga turned her sights from Howe's face to the phone, which was still flashing. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before pressing the tiny button. "Hello?"

"Helga? Helga! Oh my god it is you!" Phoebe shouted. "We've been looking all over for you"

"We?" Helga asked.

"Yes…me and…Gerald. He took his brother's car and we've been searching for the last hour, I remembered the card and well…it seemed possible that you might actually go talk to that fellow and…I'm just…I'm glad you're okay…can we please come get you?"

"I…yeah…Sure Phoebe…"

"I already have the address on my phone, we'll be there shortly…"

"Yeah…sure Pheebs…and…Phoebe?"

"Yes?"

"I'm so sorry for earlier…"

"I'm sorry you felt the way you did Helga, I was just…"

"you just needed to let out your feelings…like I do mine…"

"Yes Helga, that was all it was."

"Okay Pheebs…I'll see you soon" Helga put the phone down on the console and shut her eyes for a moment. She wondered what exactly she was going to say to Phoebe when she arrived and slowly opened her eyes to see the phone still in front of her. As her mind returned to reality, she noted the silence that loomed around her. She blinked a few times in confusion and then shook her head once before looking up and seeing Alex and Lisa standing at the window staring at her. Helga rolled the chair back to distance herself from the two staring parties. "Hi?" she said with a quick wave.

"Hi? Press the damn button" Alex shouted.

Howe tilted the mic to her again and pressed the button for her. "Hi?" she said once again.

"Everything okay?" Lisa asked.

"Yeah…my friend wants to pick me up" Helga mumbled.

"wants to? Or is?" Howe asked, still holding down the button so everyone could hear.

"Is. Soon." Helga replied.

"Okay. Listen guys I'm going to keep the equipment going, it's got about 30 minutes left on this side so try and use it wisely, I don't want to scrap everything okay?" Howe said to Alex's band.

"Yeah sure. I guess this is goodbye for now Helga?" Alex noted. Helga nodded in reply and let a fully splayed hand raise towards him as a gesture of departure.

"See you around then darling" Lisa replied with a wide smile.

Howe checked quickly on some of the equipment and then got up and went to the door. Helga waved to Lisa, who waved back and then got up herself. She put her phone back in her pocket and gave a quick nod to Howe who was holding the door open for her. Helga walked out into the hallway and waited as Howe closed the door as quietly as he could. She must not have noticed it the first time, but the door was massive and metal. Howe put his hand on her shoulder for a quick moment before going in front of her and walking back from they had previously come from. She followed him along the confusing path until they made it out to a different entrance which was to one of the city's main streets. Helga walked outside with Howe, who sat on one of the steps and invited Helga to follow him. She lowered herself to his level and stared at him while he looked at the ongoing cars.

"Whatcha thinking Helga?" He asked as he got out a cigarette and lit it.

"You smoke?" She asked.

"Do you?" His eyes tilted over to her, while he still was lighting up the small white thing.

"Uh, No."

"Is it a problem?"

"For your health yeah but…no I don't really care, the guy I was with last night though…smells of cigarettes all the time…and it's just weird seeing someone like you smoke one…"

"Why's that kid?" he finally put the litter away and inhaled deeply.

"Because you're not some perfect godsend…your normal"

"Ha!" he laughed, finally removing the cigarette from his mouth to let out another few laughs. "I'm far from normal, but I'm human"

"Unless it's a full moon?" a reference to the title of his company.

"Exactly my dear…exactly"

"Do you think me and my friend will work it out?"

"Listen kid, any minute now a car is going to come flying by down the street and a girl is going to come out and give you a hug ass hug…I bet you 5 bucks"

"That'd be nice"

"Most definitely. Teenage girls are absolute bitches, but that's because of all those damn feelings of yours. I'm sure though that you and your smart friend won't fall for the usual drama of female friendship issues"

"Thanks I guess…"

Helga and Howe spent the ten minutes talking about how the business worked and how he handled people like Alex and the others who used his studio and expertise. Helga didn't have an interest in pursuing anything that Howe was doing, but found a moderate amount of interest in the topic. Before long though a powerful set of lights came to a halt at the front of the building, an old muscle car with two figures inside. Helga was barely able to get up from her seat when the door flung open and a small Asian girl ran up to Helga and squeezed her with all she could.

"I'm so glad you're okay Helga!" Phoebe whispered.

"Okay, Okay…yesh Pheebs…enough with the lesbian activities…" Helga joked, patting the back of her friend.

"I'll take that humor as a sign of you being partially okay" Phoebe finally let go of Helga and let a small smile form from her cheeks. As Helga looked at her tiny friend, she could see Phoebe's eyes getting wet.

"I'm okay now that you're here Phoebe…I thought you'd never talk to me again…"

"I'd never last a week without talking to you Helga, you're like my sister!"

"And the same goes for you Phoebe…"

"Hey!" Howe shouted. "Five bucks!"

"Cram it Howe!" Helga yelled back. "I'm broke remember!"

"Next time kid, I intend to get my money" Howe said, getting up from his seat and throwing his cigarette away.

"Next time?" a confused Helga asked.

"What you thought this was a onetime thing?" Howe smiled "Oh no, I expect to hear from you soon or I'll be sure to send Lisa after you"

"I'm shaking in my boots Howe" Helga let a small smile out herself, actually finding enjoyment of the moment at hand.

"Alright have a good night Helga, I mean that" Howe entered the building, keeping the door open slightly and looking out on her awaiting her reply.

"Thank you for everything Howe…" Helga waved. Howe simply gave another small salute.

As Howe entered the corridor of his building, Phoebe went over to the car and nodded to the driver who Helga was unable to see but figured was Gerald. She came over and grabbed the backseat door, alerting Phoebe of her presence. Phoebe smiled and opened the passenger's seat and got in herself. As Helga crammed inside messy vehicle, she saw Gerald looking back, giving her a nod of approval. Helga swallowed hard, nervous at where she was and slightly nodded back in reply. Gerald turned to look at the traffic and at the right moment pulled into it, starting the ride home. Phoebe tilted from her seat and put her hand onto Helga's knee squeezing it just a little to remind her it was there. Helga tried to form a smile but was too shy to let one out and simply grabbed Phoebe's hand and squeezed it herself. It was clear without words that the two girls were happy to be around one another again.

The car ride was mostly silent, though Helga wanted to know how Gerald was able to get his brother's car and drive it like this without a full licence, but she was too scared to say anything. Gerald could yell at her for the mess she got everyone into and Helga wasn't fully ready to handle that sort of scenario yet. When they finally arrived at Phoebe's house they pulled into a spot in front and everyone got out. Phoebe went to once again hug Helga, and this time Helga squeezed back. The mutual feeling was ignored by Gerald who simply went up to the door and let himself in. Phoebe put her arm around Helga and the duo walked up the steps together.

"I'm going to sit downstairs and talk to Gerald for a while, how about you head upstairs and make yourself comfortable?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll be done In a few minutes or so…" Helga replied.

"Oh, please…have a shower or a bath or something if you'd like…" Phoebe motioned for Helga to go upstairs.

"What trying to get me out of your hair?" Helga joked.

"No not at all…I just think you should head upstairs…"

"Oh okay…"

Helga headed up the stairwell, seeing Phoebe and Gerald embrace on the couch as they disappeared from her sights. As she headed towards the massive washroom at the end of the hallway, Helga noticed a light coming from the guest room. Hoping to get rid of her phone, wallet and bra Helga opened the door slightly and tugged at her jeans to get her stuff out. As she fought with her tight pockets Helga looked up and noticed a figure on the bed staring at her. Helga's mouth dropped and her eyes widened as she came to terms with what was going on. '_Goddammit Phoebe_' she thought to herself.

"Hi…Helga…" Arnold began.

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And there we have it. Thank you for all the kind words, favourites, follows and favourite authors I appreciate them all. What do we have next week? Well what else is there?

The Talk.


	15. The Talk

So here we are at last, the big one. This was something I don't know if I'll ever do right. The dialog I feel goes so fast that the characters barely move, you know they are both in a panic and they both are so scared they don't know how to hold themselves together. Some of you will call the lack of description in this chapter is a sign of laziness and you'd be somewhat right, but not nearly as much as you'd think. Please enjoy, I love hearing from you all and the amount of subscribers and followers and everything mean so much to me!

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Helga, barely able to move from the spot she was in tried desperately to move her hand around her waist as if the phone was somehow floating, but alas it was on the floor. Arnold scratched the back of his hair, and moved his eyes off to the side embarrassed at the situation he had put himself in. After a moment or two of staring, Helga blinked furiously before finally remembering how to bend her legs. She finally distanced her eyes from his face and looked around for her missing phone which had slid closer to the bed. Helga stretched out her arm just a bit, hoping she had gained the ability to move the phone closer by will power alone, not willing to step closer to the uneasy boy before her. Arnold noticed her arm and looked, confused at what exactly she was doing before turning his head down and seeing the phone at his feet.

Not sure of what to do, Arnold looked at the phone for a moment wishing he could find the rights words to say. He took a silent but deep breath and reached down for the phone, trying to keep himself in check without disturbing her further. He grabbed the phone and pulled himself back up, squeezing onto the phone tightly for a moment and checking it out. Helga however, not concerned with the phone despite any of her private stuff inside was distracted by the injuries on Arnold. Most of the marking seemed to be gone, he looked a lot better than when she saw him last, but still he had a cut lip, a bruise on his neck and cheek and his eye looked a little bit red. He tapped the phone across the palm of his other hand before taking another deep breath and reaching to give it back.

"So you did have it…" he sighed.

"I…yeah…I did why?" Helga replied, a confused look in her eyes.

"We…She…called you several times…" his arms were out at the side, motioning for him while his eyes were still attached to a random spot on the floor, unwilling to meet her eyes.

She squeezed tightly on her phone "It was on silent…I don't know why…"

"Well that's…that's one thing down…"

"What do you mean one thing?"

"Well I mean…I think we have a lot of ground to cover Helga…maybe…you should take a seat?" He stood up from the bed, his eyes now turned to the window and walked towards the wall where he push himself against. "As far as I know…this is supposed to be your bed…not mine; I'm the visitor"

Helga swallowed and walked over to the bed frame, placing her phone and her wallet on the edge of the night stand and took a seat. "Thanks…I'm still a little…woozy…"

"I heard you slept already today…are you…not feeling well?"

"She…didn't tell you?"

"Phoebe said you may have heard her talking about her and me talking about you…" he put one of his hands on the shoulder of the other, motioning his other arm.

"Yeah I did…" Helga put her hands together and twiddled her thumbs, unsure of how she felt.

"It's not…like that Helga…" he sighed. "I asked her about you on Sunday and she thought it may be beneficial if I waited until a certain time on Monday to call you"

"I sorta figured something like that happened"

"Gerald and I have been trying to ply open Phoebe for years; she never told us anything"

"I'm a girl having a psychotic breakdown Arnold; I have no way to believe that…"

He sighed. "You just have to try and trust me…if that isn't so hard"

"Actually" she began "it sort of is."

"I see well then, we can start there"

"Start where?"

"You telling me why you can't trust me"

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because it's going to make things worse"

"It won't Helga" he laughed, short and nervously. "I'm here now okay…I'm not going to leave at the first sign of trouble"

"But….that's the point Arnold"

"Trouble?"

She put a pillow in her lap and hid herself in. "No…just…never mind"

"Tell me." He said bluntly. Finally looking over at her. When she looked out of the pillow though, his eyes hid away once again.

"If…if you tell me why you won't look at me…I'll consider it"

"Okay. I just, I feel like I'm the bad guy here. I yelled at you for something I didn't have any hard facts on." He massaged his shoulder with his other arm, trying to keep himself from shaking. "Terra…Terra is a liar, and I shouldn't have taken her words to heart without hearing you defend yourself"

"You were bleeding Arnold; you had every right to run"

"And I did. But I came back out, hoping maybe you'd still be there"

"You did?"

"Yeah Helga. I did"

"I…wound up at Terra's house"

"I see"

"But I…I didn't do it for fun…I did it because I was hurt"

"Hurt by me"

"In a way yes"

"So are you going to explain some stuff to me now? Please"

"You left me Arnold"

"I know I left you, but I went back ou-"

"No." She suddenly felt tears coming to her eye, and despite all the embarrassment and pain she looked straight at him, forcing him to turn his eyes every few seconds to see her doing so. "You left me when we were younger"

Arnold finally turned his head and embraced Helga's gaze. He took another few breaths, and walked towards the bed. "You're mad because I left to go with my parents?"

"Yeah. I am"

"I…I can't…" Arnold took another step back and shook his head. "I'm not going to apologize for that Helga, I'm sorry. I had to stay with them, my parents and the green eyed people"

"I know it's wrong of me to want it, but I wish you would"

"You never told me this before Helga, when we came back from San Lorenzo I tried to keep my promise. We tried to be friends Helga!" He said aloud. "Do you remember what you told me Helga?"

A tiny chuckle left Helga's mouth, but she wasn't happy. "Of course I do football head…I told you that It wasn't working…that I couldn't BE friends with you…that being nice wasn't something in me anymore…"

"I didn't believe you for a moment, so I wrote to you ever two weeks. You never replied"

"I didn't know how to."

"You didn't know how to write me an email or write me a letter?"

"Yeah, basically"

He looked off into the distance and thought for a moment. "Because every time you tried…you wanted to write how mad at me you were"

"Sometimes Arnold…but sometimes…I wanted to write about how much I missed you, and how much…"

"How much what?"

"I know I pretended I didn't but when we were kids, I admitted to you that I…I loved you. Then we threw that damn confession out the window, pretending it never happened…"

"You still liked me…"

"Liked you? LIKED YOU?!" Helga slammed her unharmed fist against another pillow. "I goddamn loved you Arnold Shortman!"

Arnold raised his hands towards Helga, not understanding the idea she was saying. "But you were a kid Helga"

"Of course I was a kid! I was learning about love through any way I could and I knew that's how I felt, I never questioned it."

"And I left…"

"And I cried for months. I almost committed suicide…"

"You…what!?" a look of shock formed across his face, he another few steps towards the bed and put his hands firmly on the mattress, squeezing the blanket in his grip. "You can't be serious"

"Yeah I am buster, but guess what? The bridge I wanted to jump off of wouldn't do the trick…So I walked home, and pretended nothing happened."

"Fuck Helga…why?"

"Because I was hurt. I spent months in therapy almost three times a week trying to figure out how to handle a life without Arnold phil-flipping Shortman!"

"Did it help?"

"Not at all…what did help…was a girl with an attitude problem like me, who I related to…who reminded me how good it felt to be powerful. How good it felt to not care about anyone but yourself"

"Terra."

"Yeah, and we were friends and we paraded around middle school without a care in the world. She became my new you, I lived to see her every day knowing she'd make my pain go away."

"I see…" He tried to hide it but he was furious with the notion of Terra being his replacement.

"And then you came back, out of nowhere by the way and you tried to hug me and the first thing on my mind wasn't yelling at you, or crying…it was getting as far away from you as possible"

"Why?"

"Because I hated you, because I thought you were the worst person on the planet, because you thought you were so full of yourself that you could surprise me and everything would be so much better. You had to be so great, so fantastic, so unbelievably perfect…" She growled, then she swallowed hard and those soft sad eyes of her came out again. "…and yet… I never ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER…stopped loving you…"

"Even now?"

"Even now."

"So what happened next Helga? You didn't change how you acted"

"Because I had embraced my persona of this mean Helga, it was all I knew anymore. Bit by bit you dragged that poor lost little girl who thought she met her soul mate out, then this weekend out of the kindness of your heart you wanted to take me out…whatever reason you had I didn't care…you took me out and I couldn't find it within me…or SHE couldn't find it within her to find a way to escape…"

Arnold let out another nervous laugh. "I wanted to be with you Helga, I wanted to hang out like old times"

"What about that whole practicing for real dates crap…"

"You think I'd tell you straight out I wanted to go on a date with you? You would've choked on the air from laughing so hard"

A tiny smile formed across Helga's cheeks. "I guess so Football head" She bit her lip hard to try and stop the sensation of the smile, there was no way he was going to get away with that corny line.

"You know Helga…I kinda like that nickname" He said shifting his body around and letting his weight fall on the edge of the mattress.

"Really? Maybe I need to come up with some new meaner ones…"

"I don't find you scary Helga."

"I'm a pretty scary girl Arnold…I'm a complete mess…"

Arnold pulled more of himself onto the bed and wrapped his legs around each other to keep himself up. "Right now you're not as pretty as you usually are, but you're far from a mess."

"Oh so you're saying I look hid…" she blinked a few times, and looked at him again. "Pretty?"

"Did I stutter Helga?" He massaged his back a little and tried to hide the blush forming in his cheeks.

"Are you like stoned or something? The blonde haired girl with no tits and a unibrow is pretty to you?"

"I honestly…like your slender figure…"

"And I bet what really gets you hot is my stupid furry brow right?"

"It's just a few stray hairs Helga, I don't even notice it honestly"

"Oh yeah and what are you looking at? My SLENDER body?"

"No." He finally looked back at her. "It's those damn eyes of your Helga. They look like diamonds…"

Helga began to feel burning hot, her stomach tossed and turned making her feel the need to throw up but she kept trying to swallow it down. "diamonds?"

"When I was in San Lorenzo, I saw a few treasures that the people there held dearly. They didn't want money, but they held these items dear to them. Your eyes were just as, if not more beautiful than those priceless gems"

"Why are you telling me this Arnold! You're just going to end up with some hot broad who will fall for those glorious words of yours while I'm left in this town to rot forever, turning tricks to stupid guys who don't care for me again…"

"Wait, hold the phone…what?"

Helga's eyes widened and everything came to a sudden halt in her mind. "Oh my god…" She slapped her forehead and grabbed the pillow closest to her and squeezed in on it.

"What are you talking about Helga?"

"Please don't remind me how gross I am…"

"Helga Please!" he shuffled his way closer to her and put his hand over one of her arms. He felt her rumble as he did so.

"I just…I had a rough night last night" she mumbled in the pillow.

"What happened?"

"I got drunk…"

"I've heard worse stories then that…"

"I gave a guy a blowjob…"

"Oh…I see"

"Not on purpose."

"He just…accidentally fell in your mouth?"

"No!" she screamed. "I just wasn't thinking, and now I can't stop thinking about it…"

"Well…I mean…It's just…sometimes…"

"There is nothing you can say that'll help me get the thought of my mind or make me forget the last boy I'll ever kiss may have been some asshole"

"Helga" Arnold forced her head out of the pillow. "He won't be the last guy you kiss…"

Helga searched his eyes, trying to figure out what was going but she was shocked to be able to think of any logical reason he would say such a thing. "Arnold?"

With a deep breath, and a sudden smile he pulled himself in and pressed his lips against hers, not caring if she tasted like alcohol, or whatever else happened last night. Helga's eyes remained open, staring off into the distance as she questioned what was going on. '_is this actually happening?_' she thought to herself. She looked and saw his head still there, she touched his arm; it was real, she moved her jaw slightly and felt him move closer. Helga and Arnold were actually kissing. She finally let her eyes fall shut and pulled herself closer to him, embracing his passionate touch.

Between the two emotionally distressed teenagers, for one brief moment in time everything seemed to disappear leaving the only thought left a statement of '_It's actually happening_'. As time slowly passed, Arnold reached his arm out searching for Helga's, hoping to further connect the two. As he finally discovered her hands propping her up, he slid his index finger over the back of her hand to announce its presence. Helga's eyes opened slightly, alerting her that more was going on than the kiss. She bent her wrist and grabbed onto as many fingers of his as she could before shutting her eyes again and letting out a gentle moan. To Arnold, that noise was a sound of pure excitement and without being able to hold himself back, he motioned his other hand around her cheek and held her head into place. Helga shivered as the electricity shot through her body, and then grabbed on tightly to his arm to ensure it wouldn't leave. The two continued this way for another few minutes before finally the need to breath returned to their attention and their lips parted ways. Helga fell back onto her knees and Arnold tilted away from her both breathing fairly heavily and left wanting more.

"You kissed me…" Helga blurted out.

"Yeah…I did" Arnold replied, his hand now stretched out to grab hers properly.

"Why?" She however didn't move her hand out, instead she cupped her hands together in her lap and hid her eyes from his view. She wanted to enjoy this moment as much as she could, but in truth there was a part of her that thought it was too good to be true.

"Because it felt good?"

"Really?"

"Yes Helga"

"It's not just your stupid sense of justice trying to save the poor helpless girl?"

"No it's not just that…I do want to help you Helga, I want to make things better…but I didn't kiss you thinking it would solve all the problems…I kissed you because I wanted to show you that…"

"That what?"

"That I wanted to kiss you, that I wanted you"

"Why would you want me?"

"Because you're Helga G Pataki, the meanest, strongest, smartest girl I've ever met"

"Phoebe's smarter than me Arnold."

"Not in the same way though, you've got a different kind of smart. She's all about the numbers and the logic and the explanation, you…you know about how to live life in the city, you think about the theory and the possibilities and the visuals…"

"Even though I'm not much to look at…"

"That's a lie. You're plenty to look at"

"Like you've ever stared at me…"

"I'm pretty sure when I was at work you made a comment about how I should take a picture when looking at your ass"

Helga wandered off remembering the scene on Saturday before raising her brow turning back and facing Arnold. "You actually were staring?"

"Well I mean I was…trying to…figure out who you were and stuff and…"

"So you stared at my ass to try and figure it out?"

"No that's not it…"

"Wow" She turned to look out the window, and had a sudden smile form across her face. "Arnold has a perverted side…who woulda thunk it" She turned quickly and flung a pillow at his face. "PERVERT!"

The pillow slowly slid off his face, which was confused more than anything. "Okay owe and…kinda…"

"No." She shook her head. "I want you to be honest with me, I need you to be honest with me."

"Well of course I'll be honest"

"No I want you to speak your mind, this Is a once and a life time golden opportunity, you getting to see me completely out of my safety zone willing to blurt out the truth…I demand you say what you're thinking our I'll never forgive myself for letting you in"

"Okay. Well what do you want me to say?"

"Do you stare at other girls too?" Arnold sighed and raised his arm, but before a word could come out of his mouth Helga raised her own wand and put it In front of him "you know what? Don't tell me"

"Helga, I do see other girls who are attractive and think to myself '_wow they are attractive_' but that's natural you know?" Helga's arm slowly dropped, her eyes trailed off to the corner of the room. "But! It's not like that means everything, I want to be with someone I can talk to and relate to, not just someone who the public thinks is sexy or stuff."

"Luckily I'm not one of those girls right?" she said with a straight face. "I mean it would be oh so terrible if I was as sexy as a supermodel"

"Ew" Arnold let out.

Helga turned, another confused look on her face. "Ew?"

"I don't want to date a supermodel, I think that actresses and all those famous people are OKAY at best but I don't look at famous women the same way I look at girls like you, REAL girls." Embarrassed at the thoughts in his head, Arnold put some of his hair in his face and messed it around while trying to figure out what he wanted to say next. "like…well…for example…some people would've looked at like…"

"me?"

"No. I was going to say Lila, who has bright red hair which some people find less then attractive…or say…do you remember Ruth McDougal?" Helga nodded her head, her nose twitching in anger over the hearing her name. "I'll take that as a yes…but the point is, some people would say '_oh she has braces, she's ugly_' but I thought they looked cute on her"

"You'll never forget about her will you?"

"What's the problem with her anyways?"

"Because like all the other girls you could list off for their flaws, which by the way aren't nearly as bad as my flaws…caught your eye when we were growing up…and I was jealous okay?!" Helga felt deep down like Arnold was lying about actually being attracted to her, but at the same time she was lying about why she despised Ruth more than the other girls. She thought to herself it would only be a matter of time before Arnold slipped and Helga could prove he didn't actually think of her in a romantic way, and just like Vesper, was trying to use her for sex.

"I don't think you're flawed Helga, I think you're different but I like that"

"oh yeah, whoopty do! Different…Yay for me"

"I thought the whole point of you was that you wanted to be different"

"I never said that"

"But you live like that Helga, you are who you want to be, no matter what society says"

"It doesn't mean sometimes I don't want to be like the rest of the girls…"

"I don't know If I'd ever believe my eyes if saw you at a shopping mall looking for shoes"

"And what if want to buy shoes buster!"

"Then you can buy them, but I'd take a picture to make sure it's real"

"Oh aren't you funny"

"Why are you mad?"

"Oh my god just shut up! Why are you being this way?" Helga tried to steal the pillow she just flung at Arnold away, but he grabbed it and stopped her.

"Being WHAT way?"

"Just admit it okay! Let me hear it so that I can finally return to the real world"

"Admit what?"

"Admit that you're just a horny teenage boy looking to get with me like Vespe-"

"Vesper?! Vesper Holland?"

"Ye…yeah…"

"He did that to you last night?" Arnold began, getting off his crossed legs and standing on his knees now above Helga "The mighty fucking guy who thinks he knows better than everyone else just because he can argue pretty damn good?"

"Yeah…"

Arnold waddled closer and grabbed Helga by her cheeks. "Helga what he did to you was wrong, he took advantage of you!"

Helga pulled her head away from his hands and pushed him down and away. "What should I care…"

"Because you deserve better than that! You deserve better than most of the shit you put up with!"

"I don't deserve anything I want…"

"You deserve whatever you want Helga, I mean within reason…"

"Within reason?"

"I mean, I can't exactly give you the moon…"

"You don't have to give me anything Arnold."

"I want to though Helga, just to show I'm still here." Arnold moved in closer again, this time beside her "It feels like your ignoring everything I'm saying, as if I'm someone else or as if I'm some sort of priest or councillor or even like a cat or something…I need to find a way to prove to you I'm not like HIM"

"You…you seriously think…Oh Arnold…"

"What?"

"I can't believe…I'm so sorry…" She tilted her head and leaned in on his shoulder, snuggling it with her arm and face.

"You said you'd be honest Helga, what are you thinking"

"I'm just mad at myself, for what I let myself do last night…I'm so…out of it that I forgot I was talking to you…you…the one I…I want." She sighed. "Arnold, I don't think you're like Vesper…I'm just fighting with myself because this can't be real…none of this week can be"

"I'm sorry Helga but even if you click your heels ten times you find your still going to be in this room with me…but you know your right…you need time to think" Arnold suddenly sighed "and time to sleep…"

Helga's eyes opened up and she tilted up to see his eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Well although there is a part of me that wants to stay, there is another part of me that thinks it's best for me to leave for now…"

"You want to leave?"

"No. I don't, but it just seems like the best thi-"

"No!" She roared squeezing on his arm again "You leaving now would…not…be the best thing for me…"

"Right now you need to relax a little Helga, you're around friends, if you're actually worried something like last night will happen again then obviously you're not thinking straight…"

"I do want to relax…" she said, stretching her back.

"What can we do to help you relax?"

"Truthfully?"

"Truthfully."

"No judgement calls?"

"None."

"I'd really like to lie down…and I'd honestly like to change out of this stupid tight little bra I got on…"

Arnold swallowed hard. That was a blunt truth. "Oh…uh…okay"

"Yeah…"

"Do you want me to…yeah I'm just…I'll go downstairs for a moment…"

"I'll go freshen up in the washroom…Arnold?"

"Yeah?"

"don't tell them anything please…"

"I won't" Arnold stretched his back and pulled himself off the bed, walking over to the door.

"Arnold?"

"Yes Helga?"

"Could you…do me another favour?"

"Sure?"

"I don't think you're like Vesper…not at all…you can't start believing you're second best to him…or even on the same low level as him…here…my bra is killing me…I'm trusting you and only you to help me here…remember that okay"

"Oh…Okay"

He slowly stepped over to her, swallowing hard and breathing in as much as he could with every step. Helga turned to the wall and lifted her shirt slightly, revealing much of her back so he could get at it. His hands, tightly formed moved in on her bare back, trying to be as gentle as possible as he'd never done anything like this before. Unsure of how much pressure to apply, he grabbed the hook with most of his hand, with some of his fingers poking into Helga's back. With the sudden feeling of him against her bare skin, shivers went through her body and she let out a small almost scared squeal. Hearing this, Helga covered her mouth with both hands while Arnold looked away from her, shut his eyes and took another deep breath. Without looking Arnold motioned his other hand around Helga's back until he finally found the bra itself and with help from the other hand unhooked the bra. Both sides shot apart and Helga let out a small sigh of relief, finally feeling a little bit more relaxed. Arnold meanwhile, a little distracted by the idea of Helga's nudity shook his head trying to get the images out of his mind and jumped off the bed and headed out the door. "So yeah I'll see you in a few minutes…" he rushed, slamming the door behind him.

Meanwhile Helga was left with her thoughts, a part of her worried he was disgusted or something and wanted to leave, the other more logically side of her brain assumed his goody two shoes mind wouldn't let him get any closer to seeing her naked. Either way she wasn't really concerned about it for the moment, she instead took off her bra and threw it at the wall before getting up herself and heading to the washroom. As she headed outside the room, she heard Arnold and Phoebe talking downstairs, but decided not to listen in. In the washroom Helga cleaned herself up, used the toilet and checked on her bandages before looking at the mirror for a quick moment and letting her emotions rush back into her.

"Arnold just kissed me…" she said to herself. "He actually kissed me" she said a gleeful tone coming out. "He ACTUALLY kissed me" said once again, but this time with a massive smile forming across her face. She shook her head and waved her arms, fully knowing she couldn't grab or squeeze or break anything in the room, leaving her to her own devices to freak out. Downstairs, Arnold, Gerald and Phoebe couldn't hear her cheers but could feel her stomping up and down and were left curious as to what was going on. The more stable couple of Gerald and Phoebe looked to each other and nodded before glaring at Arnold. Speechless, Arnold simply moved his arms and shoulders and shook his head as if he didn't know what was going on, which was partially true.

Helga meanwhile continued to bounce around the room until eventually she could barely feel her legs. "Crap" she said to herself. "You know what? Fuck these pants" Helga practically ripped open the button and tore down the zipper, hoping to get the uncomfortable jeans off her as soon as possible. She slid into the bathtub and continued to shake her way out of them until finally she was free. She kept her socks on, at least for the moment almost worried that between her blisters and the heat they might look disgusting and didn't want to turn off Arnold any further then what her words might do to the situation. She pulled herself out of the bathtub and returned to the mirror, looking this time not at her physical condition but instead in her own eyes. "Are you in there?" she hesitantly asked. Her heart pounded in her chest, she felt like she was rumbling every time it beat. Another moment passed and nothing, no sign of a split personality, or a little demon or whatever Helga thought was haunting her, she was for the moment completely free from everything but the clothes she chose to wear. A sudden creak of a nearby door startled her, and made her realize Arnold had already made his way back upstairs. She opened the door slowly, checking to see if he was out in the hallway but he was already gone in the room. Helga tiptoed after him, not exactly sure of why but did so regardless. She entered the room behind Arnold, noting him carrying some clothes and putting a chair down near the bed.

"What are you doing football head?" She asked.

"I'm trying to…" he tried to say before noting the semi naked Helga. "You uhm…you're not wearing pants"

"No…no I'm not…" A huge blush formed across her face as she hid her legs behind the pants she was carrying. "I'm just going to hide under the blankets now okay?"

Arnold covered his eyes with his hands. "Be my guest"

"Thanks…it's not you…I mean…It's not completely you that I'm worried about this moment…"

"What do you mean?"

"There is a part of me that is like '_oh boy in the last hour I've gone from distant friends to friends with benefits, that's just too vile_'" she said in an overly innocent tone. "But the big thing is…I don't want to see my legs really…"

"Why not, Helga they're normal legs"

"Maybe they are, but every time I look at them all I think about is some of the stuff Vesper might have done last night…for all I know he might have licked my legs or did things to my feet or…it's just gross…"

"I bet…"

"I mean…it's not the idea of physical attention to my body is a bad thing by itself…it's him…don't think I'm against sex and all that stuff…"

"Okay…"

"But also don't think I'm suggesting anything either…please!"

"I didn't think you were"

"I'm just…I'm very out of it and I'm very sick and as much as I want you here I don't think my head could take the idea of you…well you know…"

"I wouldn't do that Helga"

"you wouldn't do that stuff with me?"

"No I mean…oh boy…can we not talk about this right now?"

"Yeah…your right I'm sorry…I just would rather wake up in the clothes I choose to wear not checking my panties for stains or anything…"

"Uhh…okay"

"sorry, I'm just…I have no room in my mind right now for translating what I'm thinking into NORMAL contained sentences"

"It's alright Helga, I told you no judgements"

"Okay…so you wouldn't kill me if I asked you to sit a little closer than on that chair?"

"No, but I'd kinda like to have some sort of a back support if you don't mind…"

"Well there is some back support on these pillows…and the bed frame..."

"I don't…know about that…"

"Please?"

"Al…alright…" Arnold adjusted his footing and stepped up from the chair and walked along the other side of the bed towards the spot that Helga was opening up for him. She didn't bend the blanket his way, meaning that she probably didn't want him under the covers so he simply put himself overtop, sliding a little more blanket her way to make sure she could move if she wanted. He adjusted a pillow behind him and sat shoulder to shoulder with Helga, both staring out at the window as if the other wasn't beside them. 'Wow' Arnold thought to himself. 'Is Helga really…really this clingy? Or is it just because she's out of it?' To him it wasn't a bad thing either way, but to him this was completely out of character of the girl he knew all these years, and beyond his wildest imagination to who she actually was deep down.

"So are you going to try the old yawn trick on me?" she asked, almost half hoping he would.

"Would it make you more comfortable?"

"How should I know…"

"Do you want to lie down? You don't need to sit up like I am."

'_fuck it. I'm already balls deep_.' Helga thought to herself. "Can I listen to your heart?"

"That sounds pretty dorky Helga" he chuckled. "But sure"

"You know at this range, I could do some serious damage to your future children you know…well that is if my hand wasn't busted up…" she said as she moved under his armpit and snuggled up to his side.

"You never explain to me about your hand, what happened?"

"I hit a window…"

"Did you break it?"

"No."

"I think you're weak Helga old gal."

"I'm seriously tempted to hit you Arnold"

"And I'm seriously tempted to keep pestering you, now that I know you're injured"

"Why are you being so mean?" she pouted.

"To make sure this is still the Helga G. Pataki who kept calling me to tell me how long I had to live when I nailed Harold with a baseball."

"She's still in here Football head" she said, flicking his nose. "Watch out"

A small giggle came out and she could feel his entire move when he did so. His heart was rapidly beating, no matter how much he tried to hide it he was feeling something he wasn't willing to show. He didn't even notice though, he was too busy looking at the back of her head and the tangled hair that was closer then it'd ever been."Oh I will…You know you've got some beautiful hair here…"

"No one's ever said that before…except maybe my sister"

"Well people should…" No longer caring about the consequences, Arnold rested his hand atop Helga's head fiddling slightly with her hair.

"Arnold…" she cooed, a smile briefly forming in her cheeks.

"Yes Helga?"

"…don't leave"

* * *

THEEND. Okay no. Not quiet, but we're getting there. This is the moment we've all been waiting for, and there is no way to get around the corniness of it. If you expected anything but that then you're in the wrong place. So what happens now you ask? A lot of stuff. Helga has to come to terms with her en devours with Arnold and finally face the rest of her family and friends.

THAT BEING SAID.

Warning, the following chapter will include **mature themes and heavy pecking**. You have been warned.

I guess I'll see you all next week in Chapter 16: Bye Helga


	16. Bye Helga

Hey everyone! Oh man I cannot believe that not only did we hit 3000 views this week but also, for those who aren't aware the petition for 15000 votes for Hey Arnold! Save the Jungle movie just went through. That's amazing guys! I mean no it doesn't mean it's going to come automatically but it shows the dedication of people who love the franchise even more then I do, and that is something to be commended. So what comes now? Well the morning after for Helga and Arnold, and a little more frisky of a situation between the two of them so please: **VIEWERS DISCESSION IS ADVISED!**

* * *

Helga squeezed tightly around the pillow she was sleeping on, barely still asleep as she enjoyed the comfort of the bed she was in. Her dream was keeping her fairly happy, and in hope of continuing it she let out a wide smile tightly smothering the pillow before hearing a sudden noise of pain come from close to her. She peaked out with her left eye, barely able to see anything more than a multicolored blur. She let go of the pillow and rubbed the eye a little more before finally seeing the difference in objects around her. The cowboy clock was still on the wall along with several other pictures of horses, but her pillow seemed to be black, but she hadn't really been paying attention to it the last night so why would she care. '_Whatever, a black pillow is fine by me_' she thought to herself. '_But…Phoebe's mom is kinda obsessive about the look of her house…did Phoebe give me another pillow?_' she adjusted herself higher on the pillow and felt less softness and a more hardened area. "The hell?" she groaned.

"What?" Arnold asked, sounding like he was fairly out of it.

Helga's eyes slowly opened up as she realized what she was actually sleeping on. It wasn't a black pillow; it was Arnold's shirt, which he was still wearing. "Oh boy…" she commented.

Arnold let out a massive yawn that sounded like some sort of a creature. "Did you…forget I was here?"

"A little bit…yeah I did" She began, rolling off Arnold and onto a proper pillow. Her face was extremely red and she was still forcing herself to wake up and understand the situation she was in. "You stayed the night?" a concern tone now coming from her words.

"Phoebe came in last night when Gerald had to rush home and return his brother's car, apparently it wasn't looking too good. You were sound asleep and I didn't really want to wake you…plus…"

"Plus?"

"I didn't want you to wake up without me here."

Helga's mind wandered off to the place the two of them were in last night, the confession of her feelings, the long passionate kiss and the discussion that followed. Unable to hear the voice of doubt in her mind, Helga instead listened to the voice of reason. It seemed like for the moment, Arnold actually did care about her. "So what did Phoebe say when Gerald left?"

"That her parents were fairly…" he hesitated. "partied out." Helga knew he meant drunk, which was odd for Phoebe's parents. "So she told me I could stay as long as I was quiet and left when she came to get me…which hasn't happened yet."

"What time is it?" She asked, still too nervous to turn and face him.

"It's like eight thirtyish?" He tilted his hand back and forth not sure what exactly to tell her.

"When did I drop dead? It had to have been some time after ten…"

"I think it was like eleven or twelve? Phoebe came in around one"

"What about you? Did you sleep?"

"Doesn't matter"

"Yes it does." She said turning to face him with a concerned look. "I just robbed you of a night of decent sleep just so I could…"

"You could?"

"Enjoy…myself"

"Helga. Please…I mean…it was…awkward…but if me having to do a few simple things like play with your hair or sit in the bed with you then by all means I'd do it again…"

"You really mean that don't you?"

"Of course. Besides even with a little kink in my neck and yes a lack of good sleep, I'm still fairly happy."

"What's making you so happy?"

"The view"

Helga's check started to burn red, she looked down and away from him before her mind slipped into the realm of distrust. "Hey!" She growled, hiding herself under the blankets. "This free peep show is over football head!"

A small laugh left Arnold's lips as he struggled to pull Helga's head from the covers. Helga fought with all her might, but between her injured hand and a touch of incoherency she wasn't able to hide at least her eyes for long. "Hey kiddo, I meant your sleepy little head."

"Heh." She chuckled. "I guess every head must be small in comparison to yours"

Arnold and Helga stared at each other, their hands intertwined despite no longer fighting over the blanket. Arnold continued to show a look of pure happiness as Helga began to feel awkward. Seeing this look on his face was scaring her, he looked perfect to her. No matter the marks or the little black circles under his eyes, it was the guy she loved. As she looked away nervously Arnold let out a small huff and shook his head, turning away from her. "I guess I should get going then, I'm going to have to do some explaining when I get home"

"What are you going to tell them?"

"Anything would work, they'd just be a little nervous that I didn't even leave a message for them last night"

"At least your home would worry about you…"

"I guess things are always the same at the Pataki house?"

"Always."

"I'd really like to give your father a piece of my mind"

"And I'm sure he'd like to return the favour by breaking you in two…no offense"

"I'm sure I could hold my own against someone…when it's a fair fight that is" Although he didn't mean to hurt Helga with that last bit, he still was mentally scarred from the beating he received on Monday.

"That was wrong…what happened to you" Helga let out, holding his shoulder.

"Yeah well, if I ever see them again…I'm not too sure how friendly I'll be to them…EVER"

"There's a part of me that's the same…I don't know If I'll ever go back to Terra's again"

"She…we'll she's…"

"What?"

"I'm…I'm really sorry…she called you last night…I didn't answer but I looked at the phone…"

"You looked through my phone?!"

"No just…just…the contact list…"

"What? Why!?"

"Because I may have wanted to contact that bastard"

"Please don't. It's between me and him…I'll handle it"

"If it were any other girl, I'd worry he'd try something but…"

"but?"

"Helga G. Pataki can take anyone"

A wicked smile formed across her face. "You're damn right"

"What about…us?"

"Oh…that…"

"I don't know how much of you was actually their last nigh-"

"I know I was like a needy little girl, who expects all the Christmas presents and blah, blah, blah. I get it mom….I deal with the reality that my brain expects too much every day, you don't need to remind me that I'm a bad person."

"What? No. Helga, let me finish." He swallowed hard, and then pressed his fingers across her face again, eerily reminiscent of last night. "Whatever that was last night, I'm more then okay with it. I liked what I saw, if that is part of who you are…if you're willing to admit that maybe deep down you need a hug every once and a while then Helga, I honestly think that's really cute"

"Oh shut up!" she said turning away from him.

"Oh no" he said moving her face back with his hand. "Honest Helga. No judgements"

"I…maybe…am like that…"

"Maybe?"

"Probably"

"That's good enough for me" He tilted in slightly, looking her deep in the eyes as his breath blew across her close face. He saw how scared she was, and worried that she may get mad, he tilted himself to the side and kissed her cheek before falling back and letting go of her face.

Helga grasped the spot he kissed, almost as if to try and hold it there. She was still looking upset, but her eyes closed and her mind dashed off to a place of pure ecstasy. '_Oh my handsome loving charmer…you know just what to say don't you. Is there anything you can't do to woo my heart? Still though…the evening is done and shortly things will return to normal…_'

"Helga, what's wrong?"

The hand on her face slowly became a fist, it was if she was about to punch something as she hid her clenched fist beneath the blanket. "I'm just…I can't Arnold"

"You can't what?"

"I can't do that…I can't do this. I've got so much on my plate right now and after Monday I'm just…"

"Helga I'm so sorry about Monday, that wasn't me…"

"No, I can…I can forget that…" though in reality it would haunt her for a while she thought. "I just feel tainted and I feel like I…not to sound creepy but…I feel like I betrayed my religion"

"But you're not religious…"

'_Oh if only you knew the truth my dear Arnold_' she thought to herself. "No that's not what I meant, what I mean is…I don't feel like I'm worth much right now and I need to figure out stuff about me before I put myself out there…"

"Out there?"

"Before I can let anyone…no…before I can let YOU in"

"Helga, for seven years I've known there was something going on with you, more than just the school yard bully you were…don't tell me I'll have to pretend last night didn't just happen…"

"Listen" She said sternly, tightly grabbing his collar. "You listen here buster, almost eight years ago I told you on the roof of a building that I loved you, and your right I pretended that it didn't happen afterwards but guess what, I had loved you for several more years before that. All that time all those years I pretended I was someone I wasn't to make sure I didn't lose what I already had with you, worried that you'd never ever in a million years treat me the way you treated me last night. So no I don't want to wait another seven years for something to happen, but for now you go about your daily life dealing with the falsehood of our relationship with your wonderful family and friends and job and I'll work every hour of every day to try and fix myself for no other reason than getting closer to you again, and to top it off there is always the chance that before I'm done fixing myself you will have found some other chick…"

Arnold patted Helga's arm, hoping it would let go of his shirt. "Okay…I get that, I'm sorry…just two things please?"

"What?"

"If you're saying that when we leave this room, things return to normal then fine I get that. Then you listen to me when I say that I'm not about to abandon you to some other girl who you probably will worry is prettier then you comes up and asks me out, because It's not going to happen. Your right I probably could've dated during High School, but I never really got closer to girls because although I wanted to be friends with them, you were on my mind more often than you think…and another thing…before we leave this room…before things return to normal…if you don't think it's the worst thing in the world…I'd like to kiss you again"

Puzzled, Helga simply starred at him. So many different things could be said right now, all coursing through her mind. She was in a desperate battle of emotion over the realness of his words, and the reality he was trying to concrete in her mind. "Are you sure?" she let out, slowly letting go of his shirt and sliding her hand down to his chest. She wanted to know, she had to know if he was lying. She pressed her arm against the side of his chest feeling the faintness of his heart. It wasn't the best way to listen to it, but she could feel it moving.

"Yeah." He firmly replied, nodding his head and but turning slightly from Helga. "Let's just say that this is my inner…whatever…just wanting something. A lasting memory…a bit of…hope"

"A bit of hope? Why do you say that?"

"I guess I just sort of need to ground my mind. You have to understand that I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around this whole thing…"

"Oh jeez" she scoffed.

"What?"

"What do you think is going on in my head?"

"Probably something about how annoyed you are I'm asking for such a…large favour?"

"Are you kidding me?..." she stared at his eyes, which showed nothing but truth. "You're actually serious aren't you football head?"

"It's not all flowers and daisies in my head Helga, I have my own doubts about stuff…but I don't really have time to get into it right now…"

"Yeah…"

"Just, tell me that I'm not sounding like a complete ass or something…or just pretend I didn't ask for that…"

"No. I won't forget the…most wonderful thing I've ever heard you ask me for ever…"

"Now you can't be serious"

"No I totally am. Of course I want to kiss you, I mean if last night had happened last week…I would've…well…I just wouldn't be letting you go home so easily…"

"What are you saying you'd continue sleeping on me?"

'_Oh we wouldn't be sleeping_' she thought to herself. A tiny smile formed in her cheeks, but realizing the damage that phrase might do, she decided against it. "Probably…you're a comfy pillow you know"

"I'll take your word for it…"

"So…you're serious about this?"

Arnold let out a deep breath and nodded his head. "Are you sure you won't be grossed out or anything?"

"Of course not"

"No jokes at the end about a terrible taste?"

"…I'll try my best"

"Alright then" Arnold moved in closer on Helga, this time placing his hands firmly on her shoulder and neck. Helga tried to breathe in, but shivers ran down her spine as she did so. She bit her lip tightly, trying to not let the noise of her pleasure escape as Arnold moved in closer.

As his lips touched hers, Helga's mind wandered. At first it was simple excitement of the moment that was upon her, but then a fear formed inside her head. '_This…this is our farewell kiss…after this…there is nothing left…_' concerned with such thoughts, her arms dashed up towards his face and squeezed around the back of his head. Her fingers slide through his smooth blond hair as his face became buried in her increasingly controlling grasp. In Arnold's mind the idea was for him to be in control, or for this to be a mutual level of kissing, but now it was merely a scared girl giving everything she could to keep this going. Arnold's arm moved from Helga's shoulder to her lower back, pushing her closer to him. '_Screw it_' she said to herself '_It's time to go all in old gal_'. Helga moved in towards Arnold, until she was basically sitting on his lap smothering his face with all the power she could muster up. Both Arnold's hands wrapped around her waist almost hugging her as the kiss continued.

Helga and Arnold both tried to get in what air they could without interrupting the kiss but it became increasingly difficult for both parties. Helga's hands eventually left Arnold's head and slide down to his shoulders as her aggressive move finally came to an end. Their lips parted for only a second before Arnold puckered back up and gave a small peck on her lips. Amused by this, and enjoying the sentiment Helga did the same, and the two did it back and forth for another moment before finally settling down. Helga's arms fell from his shoulders to his chest, her now secretly desiring to feel the beat of his heart. Arnold simply looked at her, curious as to what she could possibly be thinking as their eyes met again. "Hi there" he stated.

"Hey" she cooed.

"That was…something"

"Yeah."

"I wanted that kiss, not only for your sake but for my own...that is what I want to strive for too Helga, a day where I can enjoy something like this again…I wanted to kiss you…to feel it, and realize how good it felt and then use that memory as an incentive to make it another day, week, month or year without it again…"

"You know you're quiet the romantic. I'm beginning to think your just stealing my ideas before I can think of them myself…"

"I'm nowhere near as brilliant as you are Helga."

"Oh shut up. You're not going to get me to kiss you again…"

"I can hope can't I?"

"Yeah I guess so. You know…you make a comfy seat too…"

"Oh…oh yeah" Arnold looked away from Helga's face for a moment to finally see her female form. He could see a little bit of the area between her chest from her shirt, and he now finally saw her pink panties no longer hidden beneath the blankets or her pants. '_Oh boy'_ he thought to himself. Over the past 24 hours Arnold had realized just how deeply he cared for Helga, but now he found himself realizing just how much of a woman she really was. He tried his best to contain himself, not exactly sure of what to say but knowing something had to change. Blood rushed through his body, he felt every bit of her pressed against his legs and it became a desperate battle to hide how he was truly feeling, both mentally and physically. "Please don't" He let out under his breath.

"What are you talking about…" Helga asked. She tilted her head and stared at Arnold, who was desperately squeezing his eyes shut, when she suddenly felt something from below. "Oh no." she blurted. She looked away from him for a quick second before rolling off of him and back into the nearby blankets. "Oh my god…I am so…Oh my god…" words couldn't fully form, images in her head were nothing short of extremely sexual and she couldn't control it.

"Okay…Okay…I'm…yeah" he said to himself. Arnold pulled himself up and got off the bed opposite where Helga was and adjusted his pants, hoping to god to hide his issue. "Helga, I don't mean to be so…informal…but I'm…I'm going to get going…"

"Yeah…yeah…you do that…"

"Helga?"

"Yeah?" She slowly turned, looking at him but trying desperately to focus on his face.

"I know you've got…your stuff…so I'm leaving it to you…to call me…you have my numbers in there, and I won't hesitate to answer your call whenever I'm available."

"I'll think about it…"

"Please do that. Well then…I'm off…get some sleep Helga"

"Yeah sure…and…I'll miss you Arnold."

"I'll miss you too…but remember…my name is football head"

"Yeah it is…" she smirked.

"Okay then" Arnold then headed out the door and shut it behind him, looking away from Helga to ensure he wasn't distracted in his attempt to leave. Between the way she was dressed and the way she acted and all that had happened, him leaving the room was one of the hardest things he'd done and he couldn't turn back.

* * *

Well there we have it, not the end but the start of something between Arnold and Helga. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope that no one is too annoyed at the idea that guess what? Arnold is a guy and may or may not get a little "excited" from having a girl on his lap. I promise we'll see more of these two later on, but now we need a little cool down but things don't exactly go as planned. Up next we have Helga decides to go home after a few days of disappearing. Things are tense for the Patakis but I assure you It will make sense (hopefully). I'll see you all next week in Chapter 17: The Voyage Home.


	17. The voyage home

Hey everyone, hope you're all enjoying the days leading up to the summer. Anyways here is a sort of cooling off chapter, and a little bit of a realization for Helga. Hope you enjoy, I would love to hear what you all think.

* * *

For the next few hours Helga sat lying in bed pretending to sleep, but no matter how hard she tried her mind would not remain at ease. One of her greatest fantasies had come true, something she'd longed for since her and Arnold were kids and now it was actually a part of her life if only for a moment. While the excitement of the event held strong in Helga's mind for a good half an hour, something else came to her mind. Though a memory is something wonderful and dearly held, the issue that now loomed was that for every second she thought about the moment, or tried to think about it, or even let it simply stay In her mind was a second that the moment was further and further away and may never be replaced by a new better experience. It was a cruel frame of mind to be in, to think that everything you wanted in life and could ever make you happy may be stuck in the past but still it was Helga's frame of mind.

Soon Phoebe arrived, baring a tall glass of juice and a new set of bandages for her wounded friend. It wasn't very long before Helga opened up her, and gushed on about the romantic words of Arnold as Phoebe cleaned up Helga's less then broken hand. Though fear still lurked in Helga, Phoebe was unwilling to let it control her. Instead she gave Helga her words; "The biggest bump is behind you" she told Helga "It's only a matter of time and perseverance before your confident enough to actually handle your feelings for each other, and I'll be here the whole way". For the first time in a long time, Helga let Phoebe's words stick in her mind. Sure she was uneasy, but a new found underlining sense of desire to improve was forming all because of one boy's voice. Helga figured herself out shortly after, gracefully accepted a bus ticket from Phoebe and made her way home.

Though she never actually saw them, Phoebe made it clear that her parents may have partied harder then they should've the night previously and would be unable to give her a ride home which was fine to Helga, especially seeing how much generosity the Heyerdahl household had already been to her. Helga headed to the nearest bus stop, now with bus tickets from Phoebe and proceeded to look through her phone, though for the time being she had to go home and get herself decent she also needed to talk with Terra who had called the night before. As she looked through the calls made and received, she also noticed the call she had made to Howe who was also another person she would have to talk to over the next few days to assure him she was finally safe and sound somewhere. When the bus arrived Helga found it surprisingly empty for a bus coming close to noon, but it was easier that way. She wouldn't have to listen to nearby people chatting or the overly loud music of random loners, or worry about being stuck near weirdos.

* * *

Elsewhere Arnold finally arrived home, his back aching and his eyes becoming increasingly difficult to keep open. As he opened the front door of his house, hoping that he'd be able to sneak in the power of numerous animals forced the door open and caused Arnold to almost fall down the steps of his house. Usually he would've been able to get out of the way of the creatures, but he was far too tired to remember the herd today. He pulled himself back up and stretched his back and arms while letting another one of his massive yawns out, which sounded eerily similar to some sort of monster and scared the birds on the roof. Fluttering his eyes, Arnold turned to look in on the hallway which was filled with three of the residents; the short bald Ernie Potts, the oriental Mr. Hyunh and the bearded Oskar, all who appeared to be in the middle of something when Arnold opened the door.

"The Hay happened to you kid?" Ernie asked with a hint of concern. "No wait, don't tell me…you went drinking!"

"Arnold is a smarter boy then that!" Mr. Hyunh defended.

"Hey bub, if he wants to drink then he can drink. I remember sneaking in a drink or two when I was his age" Ernie dazed off for a moment, thinking about his youth.

"Please, he's probably just sick. It's why he came home so early, right Arnold?" Mr. Hyunh asked.

"Well no I've got work tonight…" Arnold replied.

Ernie spotted a confused look on his face after hearing that. "Then why do you look so down, did something happen?" concern in his voice.

Arnold swallowed hard and checked himself over to make sure there were no signs of where he was last night, even though there was nothing that could be on his clothes to dictate where he was. "No…uh nothing happened, I just…I need to get upstairs"

"Hold it." Ernie held his arm out, stopping Arnold from getting to the stairs. "Did you go looking for a fight? Without me?!"

Mr. Hyunh shook his head, disgust in his eyes. "Arnold, revenge isn't going to solve anything no matter how good you think it'll make you feel"

"What are you bonkers?! Of course it'd feel good, numbers mean nothing when you've got yourself a sledge hammer!" Ernie mentioned, pounding his fist into his other hand.

Arnold was in a corner, because of his bad entrance he wouldn't be able to make it passed the group without coming up with some excuse. "I didn't do…anything last night…I was just with Gerald…"

"He's totally lying look at him, he's too much of a nice guy to know how to hold a poker face!" Ernie poked his hand out towards Arnold's face which was beginning to get red.

"Arnold you can tell us the truth, we're your friends!" Mr. Hyunh said.

"I think he's just tired…" Oskar mentioned.

The other two parties turned to each other for a moment with puzzled looks on their faces before turning to Oskar and scowling at him. "You're an idiot!" they both said at once. Oskar simply shrugged defensively and took a step back from his angered peers.

Arnold shook his head, annoyed at the position he was in and huffed. "Listen guys, I really would like to catch some Z's before I head to work tonight, if you really want to know about my lame evening at Gerald's then I'll be sure to talk to you after work okay?"

"Yes please get some sleep Arnold you need to be strong and ready for work tonight" Mr. Hyunh said, pushing his small friend Ernie out of the way with ease.

Ernie growled at his friend before looking over to Arnold who was now walking up the stairwell. "Oh for crying out loud, fine. You head up and get your beauty sleep kid while we keep working on the darn air conditioning FOR FREE"

Arnold smirked and continued up the stairs, waving his arm high enough for them to see as he continued. "You're a shining example of to your countrymen Ernie my friend"

"Damn straight I am. See, he's showing me some respect!" Ernie pointed out, not able to catch Arnold's sarcasm.

"Well he's too tired to realize just how stupid you're being Ernie!" Mr. Hyunh yelled. "That's a terrible idea for working on the vent system and you know it!"

"Hey! Hey! What about me!" Oskar butt in "I was right about the boy being tired, so I should be the one who takes control of this operation"

"Shut up Oskar!" Ernie and Mr. Hyunh roared.

Arnold continued upstairs, pulling down the stairs to the attic while hearing what he assumed was his Grandmother playing weird tribal music down the hall. He was in no mood to figure out what she was doing, and continued up the next set of stairs to his room. Finally alone with his thoughts and in the privacy of his own floor, Arnold flung off most of his clothes and jumped into his bed. He hid most of head into his pillow as his mind wandered off to a less troublesome place. He questioned how much of Helga he had just seen only hours ago, and how much more was left to be discovered. More importantly though he couldn't help but remember the feeling of their last embrace which took Arnold's mind into sexual overdrive, something he'd never experienced before. He pulled the blanket over most of his stomach and back as he could, letting his legs dangle at the end of the bed while he motioned himself into a comfortable position while his body began to shut down. No longer did the complicated thoughts dangle in his mind, it was finally time for a little bit of rest before he'd be forced to go to work and think more about the intensity of his affairs with Helga.

* * *

Helga meanwhile was up and roaring but without much to do, she had so much sleep last night, on top of the sleep she had earlier yesterday that her energy was off the scale. Maybe it was the sleep, or the events with Arnold but either way Helga wondered if walking home would've been a better way to spend the majority of her afternoon. Alas she was already more than halfway home at that point and the idea was scrapped. Pulling into her neighborhood, Helga prepped herself for duty. If only for a short few moments, she would have to play off as if everything was cool which on a normal day would be easy as possible, but so much was going on in her head that even she was having trouble with her usual cold calculated demeanor. At her doorstep she shook herself a little bit and slouched herself as if to look bored or annoyed, took a deep breath and headed through the door.

Entering the home, Helga flung her shoes against the wall and called out "Miriam!" presuming her mom was probably somewhere half asleep. She pulled her hair from in front of her ears, hoping to hear even the slightest of noises but no response from her mom. She took a quick look through the living room and then the kitchen but still no sign of her mother. No longer concerning herself with it, she sighed and headed upstairs where she finally was able to be herself. "Oh my god…" she groaned. "What have I got myself into" she noted, heading into her room.

"Please. Tell me what you've got yourself into little lady." A voice commented as she headed through the doorframe.

Helga took a peak over to her side, where her father was lying against the frame of her wall and her mother sat on her desk's chair. "What…what the hell are you doing in my room?" Helga demanded a stern look across her face.

"Your room!" Her father growled. "Last time I checked you don't pay to own this room"

Helga started to play with her jaw, as a sign of annoyance before heading over to her bed and pulling off her socks. "I didn't realize I had to PAY to live in my family's home"

Her father chuckled at her comment. "No you're right missy. You don't have to pay to live in a family's home, you just have to do your chores and obey the pretty decent rules laid out by your parents. You do remember rules right?"

"Oh I remember the rules Bob." Helga stated. "Keep quiet during the game, always mention the beeper emporium, and make sure Miriam here remembers to make dinner."

Her mother let out a sigh at the last part and then shook her head, placing her hand across her cheek. "Helga…there's more than just that…"

"Are you serious?" Helga asked sarcastically. "You're actually going to rag on me about my sleepovers?"

"No you can make your own stupid choices Olga-" Bob said.

"Helga!" His annoyed teenager daughter yelled. Her father's constant choice to call her Olga, as oppose to Helga was not something she enjoyed.

"Whatever. But when you decide to play a game of frigging hide and seek, or maybe 'oh…'" her father began in a high pitched tone " 'I'm going to see if anyone cares about me, so I'm just gonna run away' shit, leaving your mother crying last night then I swear to god I'm going to do something about it, You hear me!"

Helga scowled at her father, trying to put that sort of blame on her. "Oh yeah, absolutely Bob. I love playing the attention seeking teenager! You didn't once try to frigging call me!"

"We DID try to call you Helga" Her mother stated. I used the number we've always had.

"You mean the one on the fridge? Where the seven looks like a 1?" Helga questioned. "Yeah, I told you seven thousand times that you need to FIX IT"

"It doesn't matter you still decided to disappear for two days without calling us either!" Bob growled. "Then all your friends come around looking for you and we're left looking like some sort of bad parents because we don't know where the hell you are!"

"Oh yeah because you guys totally deserve parents of the year awards!" Helga replied.

"We do our best you hear me!" Bob roared.

"My name isn't fucking Olga Dad!" Helga screamed.

Bob Pataki scrapped his teeth together as his face went red with anger. He let out a mighty scream and slammed his fist through the wall, leaving Helga and Miriam to look on in horror. He continued to breath heavy as he pulled his fist from out of the wall, moving his eyes downward to his fist to examine the damage. As he bent each finger a creepy smile formed across his face. "You're right, you're not Olga." He said calmly. "I keep thinking maybe you'll learn a thing or two from your sister but you're so bent on not being her that it's almost sad" His eyes peered up, full of hate and rage at the scared daughter in front of him. "I'm done giving you your freebies girl. You think you're so tough, with your freak friends and your punk clothes and all that shit, but you're not. If you were tough you'd man up for once and work towards something like I did when I was your age. Get a job for crying out loud, like every other kid your age and realize it's only a matter of time before you'll have to grow up" He headed towards the door, turning his view away from Helga while doing so. "If it weren't for us finding Phoebe's number an hour ago, we wouldn't have known where you were and I would've had to report my daughter as missing, thank you for letting that sort of fear run through my mind…Helga"

As bob slammed the door and headed downstairs, Miriam adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat. "Well that…wasn't fun" she said with a nervous chuckle.

Helga's scowl turned to her mother's eyes "What the hell do you want? To tell me I'm a failure some more?" she was determine to leave this battle with some dignity.

"No…not at all…Helga, we were worried sick about you and then your friends came to try and find you and there was an argument with your father and he didn't go to work today…was it so hard to call us?" Miriam asked, sorrow in her eyes.

"Yeah, because I have to worry about something like THAT happening every time I bring up something…"

"Helga, we just want to see you succeed…"

"You just want me out of this house…"

"No! You're still fairly young…we're not about to boot you out of your own home."

Helga scoffed. "And yet I'm being compared to miss 'I'll move out before I'm 20' every goddamn day"

"Your sister was very fortunate honey"

"No, Bob pulled every string he could for her along the way, than maybe….off to the side a little bit there was a little bit of luck."

"Helga, please calm down."

"No. Why should I keep calm when I just had a hole put in my wall?!" Helga roared, stomping towards her mother.

"You were missing for two days, I was scared, your father was scared"

"Scared? Of what? The police realizing just how dumb this household is?!"

"We do the best we can Helga…"

"No you don't!" She screamed "You drink yourself to sleep every day, and he hides himself away in sports and we never talk about anything other than Olga. Remember when I started therapy? You told me that 'we Pataki's" she said, putting on a masculine voice "never need to talk about anything' and now you guys want me to come home and apologize for wanting to get away from you two?! What are you, insane!?"

"We're not insane Helga…" she defended. "We're just proud…"

"I have NOTHING to be proud of. Now get the hell out of this room your husband owns"

"Okay Helga…whatever you say."

"Oh actually I'm lying…I do have one thing to be proud of." Miriam turned to face her daughter's still disgusted look. "I did manage to get myself a job. So you can cross off one of the thousands things I have to do to make you guys actually proud of me"

"That…that's great Helga…I'll mention it to your father when he's cooled down…"

Miriam left the room on the verge of tears, slowly shutting the door behind her as she tried to pull herself together. Downstairs in the basement Bob pulled some beer out and enjoy the comfort of his private television, trying to forget all the problems he had to deal with. Helga on the other hand threw off all of the clothes she didn't buy herself and put on the ones she did actually own, trying to distance herself further from her family. She opened her drawer and slide her hand into the distant back corner where she pulled out her old locket, which still had a picture of a young Arnold inside. She grasped it tightly within her now shaking hands and headed to the corner of the room, where she succumb to her desire to cry. She wanted to hold him so badly to give her the strength to fix herself, but she didn't want to burden him with her issues until she was fixed, it was a paradox that only Helga's mind was okay with. Something had to change.

* * *

Okay I'm not sure what side of the fence some of you may be on, especially considering a majority of people see Bob Pataki as some sort of "evil" dad at least as far as I'm reading online, but that isn't the point of this. Bob is genuinely scared and that makes him mad. I promise you that Bob in my story is not going to beat the crap out of Helga or something, but punching a wall is something I could see in his character. Anyways Helga goes on a little bit of a journey next week, and I hope you enjoy it.

See you all next time in Chapter 18: Thought process


	18. Thought process

Hey everyone, hope you enjoy this Arnold focused chapter. It's a little bit of filler, but it just sorta opens up how Arnold feels you know? That being said there is a pseudo-sexual situation that happens in this chapter, no actual sex or anything but the idea of it is going on. So with that PLEASE BE ADVISED.

* * *

"How can you not have Canadian bacon?" the man continued to ramble. Arnold was starting to lose his cool on the situation, now tilting down to look to the lower racks for the item. "I mean just because it's not REGULAR bacon by many people's standards, it doesn't mean it's not a popular item!"

"I…I'm really sorry I just can't…" The wall of mean products was a blur of words and items Arnold was unfamiliar with his mind searched for any word that even remotely looked like 'bacon' in hopes he'd have a better clue to where it was. "Like it should be here, I swear it's an item we should carry"

"Just a week to come visit my son down in the states that's all, but I can't even enjoy the smallest thing? Come on!" With every word Arnold seemed more and more rushed, but still no sign of the target. "You know I'd like to have a word with your manager…"

Although he shouldn't of, Arnold took it personally. He swallowed hard and took of his cap, turning his eyes to the customer without moving an inch. "Sir my manager is out for now, I'm doing the best. I. Can" with each word, Arnold's voice deepened until he was able to catch himself get any ruder. Quickly he licked his dry lips, and took in another deep breath as he stood back up again and turned to the customer. "I honestly don't know what to tell you…there SHOULD be a meat department person around here somewhere" but secretly he assumed he knew where they were. As per usual the deli girls decided to break at the same time, causing much of an issue but without a manager around they could get away with it.

"Well that's a damn shame." The man blurted out, slamming his hand onto his side. He fiddled with his mustache, pondering what to do about the situation.

'I can't believe I'm doing this…' Arnold thought, he was at an impasse. "You're right sir; you deserve your bacon…" though in his head Arnold wasn't as concerned with it. "Please give me another two minutes to find my manager and I'm sure he can help us out…"

"What's the issue?" another voice intervened. Arnold and the older Canadian man looked over to see a fairly comfortable Leo in his sunglasses, tank top and sweat pants. "Don't worry sir" Leo commented, raising his arm. "I know this store inside out"

"I'm looking for the damn Canadian bacon" the man said in a huff.

"Oh jeez, yeah I know what you're talking about…" Leo scratched his beard for a moment, with his other hand looking down the row of coolers. "Yeah, it's in that last cooler. For some reason we keep the junk in a box, but we do sell it"

"Oh thank god. I just wanted some bacon was that so much to ask?" The man looked over to Arnold, his brow raised and arms out hoping to get an answer out of the young man.

"No…not at all Sir" Arnold replied, putting his hat back on.

"No. It shouldn't be…" the man turned to Leo and nodded. "Thanks again buddy"

"Hey no problem guy" Leo replied. As the man walked away, a devilish smirk formed across Leo's face. "Well that was fun"

"Oh shut up" Arnold stated, fiddling with the tiny white hairs on his face. "ugh…why am I working, I want to be at home…" though in his head, he thought more about Helga then anything.

"Come on, I'm a customer…help me shop" Leo patted his young friend's shoulder, and took a few steps forward with Arnold following behind. "So how's you?"

"I can't complain…didn't get much sleep though"

"Out with your buddies again?"

"A little bit…not exactly."

"Oh, do something exciting"

"Actually…yeah a little bit"

"Oh boy, Arnie went on an adventure"

"Gee thanks"

"Who's closing tonight?"

"Chad…he's out getting food or something…I dunno."

"Not like Chad to disappear for so long…maybe he had a craving for a burger?"

"I dunno. Not gonna lie, If he was I wish he told me…I could use some a warm burger"

"Yeah but if you ate dinner now, you wouldn't have a proper break later on now would you?"

"Yeah but why would I want a break later on if I could spend it with Chad now?"

"Well first off Chad may want to call his wife on break…"

"He does love to call his wife on break"

"Second. I was thinking of grabbing some food later on, if you're up for it I could stick around for break"

"You mean it dude?"

"Well it sounds like you've got a story to tell, and I don't think I can hear it now without the chance of Chad coming back and giving you that evil smile of his"

"Oh god that smile" Arnold thought back to the times where Chad's big glaring smile became an early indication of a heavier workload.

"Eight thirty?"

"As always."

"Okay then young man, I'll speak to you then"

"Yeah see you in a few Leo"

* * *

Arnold returned to work, only stopping after fifteen minutes to discuss with Chad the manager the annoying situation he was put into by the lack of meat department girls actually working. There was a tiny part of Arnold that didn't like the idea of snitching on his coworkers, but like a massive machine this store needed to continue functioning and errors in the system needed to be fixed. Being in this place reminded Arnold of High School, as even over the summer stuff like rumors, drugs, alcohol, sex, fights and friendships all were intertwined into the stores very existence. It was the hope of Arnold to escape a majority of the stuff that came with working in the store, all he hoped to do was have good coworkers to make the time go by faster but that wasn't always the case. Continuing to fix up the displays, Arnold remembered a terrifying experience caused by a former employee on the ladder, where in hopes of getting some sort of a sick laugh out of it, the employee shook the ladder until Arnold almost fell. It was for that reason, a fight and a lack of work ethic that the person was finally fired but his legend remained intact, physically written onto the stalls in the men's washroom, and apparently the female's too.

It was nights like these where things had a sudden change that annoyed Arnold. For the first few hours it was a rush to keep up, looking clean and keep the managers happy but suddenly a majority of customers disappeared and Arnold had more time then he usually needed on his hands, making him feel stupid for worrying so much earlier in the night. Right now he didn't have much time to think, it was still in that awkward phase where customers were still rushing in and any attempts to keep the place looking clean wouldn't stay for long. What he did think about though, as he had been almost every second he was awake was the night previous with Helga. Heading outside Arnold worked on the carts, bringing in as many as he could to keep up with the demand of carts, which he could usually do. On weekends though that wasn't the case, he would bring in five to six carts when seven to eight people would need carts. A gentle breeze came through the mini mall and Arnold was able to at least cool down out here, working as much as he could without overdoing it.

It was here in this lazy moment that Arnold's tiny thought of Helga expanded greatly. He imagined Helga appearing behind him, acting like a shy little girl with a crush to be held. It was a nice thought but not a realistic one. '_No, that's not Helga…maybe some of what she is deep down, but not nearly that cute_' he said internally. '_Helga G. Pataki? She's nervous but not kiddy…no she…she'd want me to make the move…_' Arnold reimagined it, this time her standing in the doorway of the store as it opens, her left foot tilted upward grinding into the ground.

"Football head…I didn't mean to bug you or whatever…" the imaginary Helga said. "I just thought maybe…we could…"

"Silence my dear" Arnold imagined himself saying.

"Arnold…" she shivered.

"I'll hold you tonight" he grabbed her and pulled her in close.

Her hands motioned around his chest, feeling the muscles he pretended to have. "You've got some muscles under here don't you?" she asked shyly.

"I've got a lot hidden under these clothes" he replied, kissing down her neck.

"Oh Arnold…" she cooed.

Arnold in reality was tilted over the handlebars of a group of carts, waiting for several cars to go by while deep in his fantasy. The imaginary Helga grasped tightly around Arnold's collar and swung them both onto a bed that suddenly appeared, the sky and surroundings turned to blackness before reappearing now as some hotel room background. "I'll be gentle" The fake Arnold whispered. As if like paper, Arnold tore off all of Helga's clothing revealing her nude form, which as hard as tried he couldn't seem to focus on. Arnold let out a groan and returned to reality, noting the lack of cars holding back his movements. He continued towards the store, this time thinking solely on the idea of Helga naked. It wasn't like he'd never imagined a naked woman before, but never someone personal…never someone that wasn't a fantasy or based on an image he saw online. Before he knew it though, his mind had been taken over by these heavier topics and he felt awkward. He felt his pants slightly tightening around him, and his heart beating faster. Looking down he couldn't notice anything, meaning he was safe but he was fairly embarrassed either way. Arnold rushed to the men's washroom and sat down, not needing to use the toilet but needing desperately escape.

* * *

"Dude calm yourself…" he tried to assure. "You're at work, no need to get yourself all up and stuff at work…it's just weird…now please return back to the depths of my mind and let me bear with the rest of this shift okay?" He looked over, noting a terribly drawn penis on the wall with stuff spraying out, over a set of cartoony breasts. "See, that's not hot in the slightest…that's…that's pathetic" he shook his head, distracting himself with the question of who would've had the time and effort to draw something so stupid at work. "I mean honestly, no one would actually…DO…that at work…so don't you dare let that thought enter my head…EVER…EVER" He pointed down towards his crouch, barking orders as if it had some sort of a personality of its own. His body seemed to return to normal, he no longer felt blood rushing to his crouch and his heart seemed to be slowing down. A sudden noise in his pocket alerted him to other matters, his phone more specifically. He checked to find a text awaiting reading 'HEY WHERE ARE YOU?' from Mike, it was eight thirty already.

'Crap' was the only thought in his head, he flushed the toilet even though he hadn't actually used it, in hopes it appeared like a normal washroom visit, washed his handed and headed out of the store. It was very unlike Leo to hang around with Arnold when he could be at his home with his wife and kids, but none the less Arnold was excited to spend a little time with his buddy. They spent a majority of their time discussing random movie stuff, with splashes of dedicated rants regarding the quality of the store but unlike others chose not to go about making up rumors about coworkers. As hard as he tried, Arnold couldn't find it in him to enjoy the company of everyone he worked with, but he wouldn't go as far as spreading gossip like some fourteen year old girl.

* * *

"Do you usually make your dates wait this long Arnie?" Leo scoffed.

"Not usually…" he replied starting a walk beside Leo towards their intended location, the coffee shop. Arnold took a huff, his mind elsewhere and turned to his friend "you know, I swear I've told you about my cousin…" he assured "So if you wouldn't mind, don't call me Arnie". Though others seemed to think differently, Arnold hated being compared to his similarly named cousin Arnie.

"Hey whatever brother, you just watch what names you call me and I'm sure I'll do the same"

"Yeah, yeah" Arnold looked over, noticing the small bag that Leo was holding over his right shoulder. "Hey whatcha have to pick up today?"

"The old lady wanted some smokes and I wanted to pick up some toaster tarts"

"Don't you just LOVE being the bell boy? It's as if you go home and do one job…" Arnold began, using his hands to express himself. "And then you come into work…and you do the same thing, but you usually get thanked for often…and get paid"

"I get paid in other ways at the house…if you kn-"

"Dude" Arnold groaned. "Bleh…I wanted to eat you know?"

"You get the point. Speaking of, how goes your lady friends?"

"Well…" Arnold began, letting an older couple pass by before starting. The two made it inside the coffee shop where a short line hindered them from placing their orders. "Just…let's sit down okay?"

"Hey man it's you who's on the clock not me." Leo pulled out his phone and scrolled through it as Arnold looked at the items on display. "Hey, I'm going to be about thirty minutes or so…Yeah I got them…I think you can wait…" Arnold recognized who he was talking to. "No…I do have them…because I want to get food first? You're not seriously saying what I think your saying are you?"

Arnold picked up on what he assumed the woman on the phone was saying, if he could guess it was probably her being so greedy as to ask Leo to return home with her cigarettes and then head back to get his own food. Arnold turned to his friend, revealing an angry look and shaking his head slowly. "Are you kidding me?"

Leo put his hand out, trying to get Arnold to quiet down. "Yeah…no I'll be back soon…Yeah…yes I can get you that…Okay...B" Suddenly Leo's look turned from annoyed to downright mad. "…are you serious?" he asked the phone.

"She hung up?"

"Yeah…friggin bitch"

"I don't know why you stand her…"

"She's the mother of my children among other things…"

"I'm really not in a mood to get into the issues with your current relationship El Captaino"

"Y'arr Arnold" he said sarcastically. "So…what kind of a mood are you in?"

The coffee shop worker motioned for Arnold to walk towards the register. "Hey could I get a large Ice tea and two chocolate chip muffins?"

"Absolutely" the young lady replied.

"Thank you…" he turned his head, stilling looking at the employee gathering his things but motioned his hand outward towards Leo. "I don't know man, I'm a little annoyed but yet I'm still pretty happy all the same…it's like…" The lady returned to the cash machine and handed Arnold his stuff "Thank you, can I just get one back?" he motioned out a five dollar bill, even though the items he wanted cost barely three dollars, but it wasn't out of character for Arnold to leave a tip like that. "It's like…Oh thank you, bye…It's like…when you hear a good movie is coming out, and you're excited for it but then you're like…Oh…I have to wait…"

"Except this ain't about no movie." Leo asked, now standing beside Arnold at the register. "Yeah could I get two oatmeal cookies and a bottle of cola?"

"No, no it ain't" Arnold replied in a mocking voice.

"So who's the chick?"

"I'd rather not say" Arnold headed over to a nearby set of chairs, leaving Leo in hearing range but letting Arnold sit for the time being.

"Is it Lila, cause if it is way to go"

"once again, not interested in her. Nice personality-"

"-Nice body…"

"Nice smile-"

"Nice…other stuff"

"I think you'll find that everything we had already said pretty much covers everything"

"Shut up." Leo took his food and went over to Arnold. "Keep the change honey" the worker just smiled.

"But yes there is a…situation that has come about that…I don't want to talk about but…I sort of need an opinion on"

"So this conversation never happened?"

"Is it wrong for me to want to talk to someone?"

"No dude. Worst comes to worse some day you explain that I knew from week one…it is week one?"

"Yeah"

"From week one about something you did with a girl"

"Long story short man, I spent the night with a girl"

"Well little man is finally growing up…want to shake on it or a man hug on the way out?"

"Okay first off, you never give me hugs so I am inclined to take this chance…but second no…we slept with each other without sleeping with each other"

"So you guys…did it?" Leo was confused, from what Arnold said it sounded like the two did have some form activity together.

"No I mean…the other way around"

Leo groaned. "You slept…without sleeping WITH her"

"Yeah…"

"It's cool, this is completely out of the blue right?" Leo said, taking a bite out of his cookie "Not everyone is lucky enough to hit a home run on night one brother. It's all about swinging the bat Arnold…swing the bat" he motioned his hands as if he was playing baseball, but Arnold was not amused.

"That's the thing…It may not be for a long time…she doesn't want to continue right now…"

"She doesn't want to continue from last night?"

"No she's like…she doesn't know what she wants…"

"Well I have an idea…but you're not going to like it"

"Let it out man" Arnold took a sip of his drink while Leo finished his cookie.

"Arnold, sounds like she thinks she made a mistake…"

"She told me it wasn't a mistake…it wasn't a mistake…"

"Hey man maybe it wasn't…"

'_it wasn't a mistake…was it?_' Arnold thought.

* * *

Okay, so yeah Arnold can be a tad perverted in his own head but remember no one is perfect and he had a very intense "first base" situation with Helga prior so yeah. So what's up next week? Helga leaves her house and finally talks with Terra about Arnold.

See you next week in Chapter 19: Cat Fight


	19. Cat Fight

Hey everyone, back again with another chapter. Getting closer to 5000 views and to me that feels like a big number so I'm fairly excited. We have a Helga focus chapter going on here, and I think it rebuilds her from that "weak" point she had in chapter 15/16. Please enjoy.

* * *

Before long Helga crept out of her corner and went over to her and desk, where her computer was located. True it was a few years older but Helga did appreciate the gesture of getting her sister's former laptop when she purchased a new one. It was one of the few things passed down to her that she could bare to use, unlike several articles of clothing her sister thought Helga would enjoy. It took a few minutes to start up, so Helga headed over to inspect the damage of her room. The hole was almost perfect, a complete circle just a small bit larger then Bob Pataki's arm. Her father never hit her, or her sister but he didn't seem to care about objects in his house like the remote control, glasses or the walls. Upon hearing the faint sound of her computer's welcoming screen Helga headed back over to the desk. '_over the top? Maybe but this won't be unnecessary_' she opened up several programs, such as her messenger, her email and the headnovel website all at once. "**I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'RE AROUND…**" she spoke as she typed along "**BUT I'M HEADING OVER TO YOUR HOUSE…I'D LIKE TO TALK**". She grabbed the written line on her screen and copied it several times across the multiple programs, sending it out to its intended target.

Getting out her phone, Helga sent out a similar text in hopes of catching a certain person's attention. '_just answer your phone Terra, please…_' Helga thought to herself. She knew the journey wouldn't be worth it unless she had some indication that Terra was around. In a desperate hope to get some information on her, she decided to send out a call, but not to Terra who obviously wasn't near her phone or wasn't paying attention.

"Hello?" a voice asked.

"Well at least you're answering your phone" Helga replied. "I hope I'm not bothering you Lita"

"Oh my god hi!" Lita squealed. "How are you doing, I haven't heard from you since the party…you left in a rush" she whined. "I woke up in the morning and you weren't on the couch anymore, I thought maybe you went to bed upstairs but no one told me what happened…"

"I'm sorry, you know I would've liked to stick around for you Lita but some stuff came up…"

"Aw" she cried "did something happen with your parents?!"

"I don't really want to get into it right now thanks…I just need to know, is Terra around?"

"Not with me no…I think she's at home still."

"Okay that's all I really wanted to know, thanks Lita"

"Helga please…don't leave me with the short end of it, what happened? Does it have to do with Arnold?"

"Ugh. It's just…well it sorta…kinda does, and some men are just…bad"

"Oh I know…and so does Terra! That's why she absolutely loves you Helga, because the three of us know how much guys suck!"

"Yeah well you don't seem to have any trouble with men, you just don't seem to notice when they look at you"

"I guess I just don't like to be looked at by them…it just feels weird"

"Well as long as you don't go into hiding, I might genuinely miss you if you did that"

"Aw! You're so sweet Helga, I wish I could cuddle up to you right now."

"Hey, isn't that one Terra's jokes?"

"She always says stuff like that, but it doesn't mean she's always joking. Don't tell me you're not okay with a little sisterly hugging"

"I'm not exactly an expert on the subject, but I wouldn't oppose to getting a few hugs from you or Terra…well…Iunno Terra sorta creeps me out with some of the stuff she does but with you I mean…I guess It's just how she plays around with me you know…sorry I've just got a lot on my mind, I don't mean to push any ideas into your head about Terra…"

"Well some girls just have trouble communicating how they feel, maybe Terra is just using some jokes to see how you'll react…instead of acting out and causing a scene…I know I wouldn't want to do something like that"

"Well that's enough hypothetical nonsense for me right now Lita, listen I don't really know when I'll be able to party it up again with you guys, but…if you wanna just hang out you and me? I'd be more then happy to oblige you, but this is to be held as a secret between you and me…"

"A secret?"

"Yeah. Between the group, right now I just need to sort things out without causing an issue but…I don't want you to disappear if you know what I mean"

"I think so…"

"You're special to me Lita, your cheery attitude is what a basket case like me needs sometimes."

Helga heard a cute noise come from the phone, as if Lita was hugging something tight and enjoying the sensation. "Thank you Helga…that means a lot"

"Don't mention it kid. I've gotta go now, the bus will be coming around my area any time now."

"Okay Helga and…please feel better"

"Thanks Lita, just remember…secrecy please. I don't want any of bad men coming my way okay?"

"Yeah…I think I know what you mean…"

Having done that, Helga let the computer shut down and opened her phone to type a similar message. She checked and discovered that along with the bit of change she had, she still had one more bus ticket to get her around thanks to Phoebe and headed out of her room. While heading downstairs, she gripped her phone tightly with concerns of having it on her person but still needing it in case anyone tried to contact her back. Heading to the hallway, Helga saw her father in the living room sitting down with some sort of magazine to read. She quickly averted her eyes away from him, hoping he didn't notice her glance. She pulled her shoes on her feet, but didn't care about the laces and swung open the front door. As she went down the stairs though rushing to get away from the house, she failed to hear the door closing and turned to check what had happened only to see her father peering at the door at her. His eyes were peering right through her, as hard as she tried she didn't have the same strength in her glare as he did. He made her feel weak, and each second Helga looked his way was another second she wanted to turn away, but knew that would mean admitting defeat.

She held her hand up high in his direction, with her phone loosely held by her thumb and index finger. "I guess you want this back right?" she asked. "I mean you did pay for it, which means it's YOUR property."

"Crimney" he said under his breath. "You really are that thick headed aren't you?" he turned away from his daughter, letting the door fall back into place.

Helga adjusted her grip on the phone, now squeezing it with all her might as she bit her lip in contempt over her father's words. "Yeah because you're so fucking perfect!" she screamed.

Helga looked to see her father's figure still in the front hallway now stopping at her words. His head tilted slightly for a moment before he continued to walk away from the screen door. Helga let out a monstrous and rebellious growl as she watched him walk away. '_I almost wish the police did come here and see the shithole of a house you have here...but no you get to live another day in your almost perfect world bob where you wish I was gone forever and ever…_' her mind travelled to a deep dark place as she headed down the street, where in her head she could imagine several officials dragging Bob away from his 'crimes' or so Helga imagined. She pictured Miriam being forced to into rehab and Bob being taken to trial for denying his daughter money, proper home cooked meals and even adding more money to the school fund that was left for her sister Olga.

"I'm innocent I tell you…she's a little monster! A FREAK!" Bob roared in her imagination. His pot belly and muscular arms barely contained within the orange jumpsuit she pictured him in. He pointed across the court room to Helga, who sat beside her crying sister in the front row.

"Mr. Pataki! Your daughter is a normal child, hindered only by your lack of parenting skills…you will be sentenced to three years in jail" the judge yelled.

"What!? That's bullshit!" Bob replied, his lawyer trying to force him to sit.

"As you spend your years ROTTING in a cell, a sum from your fortune will be handed to Helga to ensure her continued and prominent survival without someone to look over her" The judge continued.

"That's my money, why can't Olga watch over her?!"

"Mr. Pataki!" The judge said, slamming his gavel. "Your daughter Olga is in no condition to raise YOUR daughter, and Helga should not be forced to move away at her age without her permission"

The increasingly red turning Bob Pataki, using all the power in his disposal rips out of his shackles and turns to Helga, a look of genuine insanity in his eyes and his tongue bitten between his revealed teeth. "Damn you!" he screams as several guards stun him with their Tasers.

A barrage of images fly through the angered Helga's head as she continues her journey away from her home, she pictures the events of her mother trying to get over her need for 'smoothies' in rehab and even her sister pleading Helga to forgive her for all she'd done to Helga. It was that genuine rage that almost seemed to sooth Helga, letting her relax from everything else and almost making her tired because she her mind wasn't wandering elsewhere. Were the thoughts in her head unreasonable? Probably not but they were hers and no one would be able to argue with her otherwise and that's the way Helga wanted it to stay. True when she was younger she was able to express her anger through Doctor Bliss, but once she hit thirteen she felt she was "too old" for a child psychologist and left. She never sought more counciling, feeling that it was too hard to replace the bond she had with Doctor Bliss and worrying that no one would be able to understand her again.

The thoughts of 'revenge' against her parents continued as she made her way to a house based neighborhood in the east side of town. It wasn't exactly the nicest of places, but it was far from shady. She checked her phone but there was still no sign of a response. '**EITHER I'VE DONE SOMETHING WRONG AGAIN, OR YOU'RE ASLEEP…EITHER WAY I'M STILL ON MY WAY TO TALK TO YOU, I'VE GOT A FEW THINGS TO GET OFF MY CHEST OKAY?**' as hard as she tried she was letting the anger she had at her parents affect her feelings towards the individual she was going to. Finally arriving in 'Peters Court' Helga could see the house lit up, meaning someone was inside. At first she looked through the windows, hoping to see a passing by figure or two or notice someone in the living room but the blinds were closed and the TV didn't appear to be on. She walked up to the door and let out a deep breath in preparation for what might be coming next. Her arm inched closer to the doorframe, pausing only for a second.

Her first attempt at the door was fairly brief and light; two quick taps on the door itself but nothing was heard. Again she knocked, this time four taps over a few seconds but still nothing. Helga inhaled with all her might, clenched her eyes and finally gave a strong set of knocks on the door. As the last hit left the frame, Helga took a few steps back from the door and turned away worried that some sort of horrible beast would come out. She opened her left eye and looked towards the door, with her back still to the frame as she heard some sort of noise coming from inside. "Oh boy" she said under her breath, worried at what she had done but a part of her didn't care, it needed to happen. The door flung open, revealing a red faced angry Terra wearing nothing but a house coat and what appeared to be stockings or long socks.

"Uh. Hi" Terra stated her face a mix of confusion and pure rage.

"Hey, Um…sorry" Helga responded, fiddling with a strand of her hair. "Woke you did I?" she tried to sound as innocent as she could.

Terra responded with a look that would best be described as asking 'are you serious' "Oh…uh…Yeah absolutely" Terra nodded her head, adding to the sarcasm.

"Right…Uhm. So maybe…well I was hoping we could talk, but I guess that's not going to happen is it?"

"Why isn't it going to happen?"

"Because you're entertaining some sort of a guest?"

"I might be, but then again I might have dressed up for myself, or I could be on camera with some lucky lady"

The look Terra previously held was now on Helga, who doubted halfheartedly that Terra would do something so wild as to go on camera nude. It only took a moment before Helga realized maybe it wasn't so crazy for Terra to do that. "No one is home?"

"Change the subject? Nice. Uh no still home alone, no mom dad or annoying little brother…just me and my camera…if you want to join?"

Despite all her years of 'training' per say, Helga still was unable to keep up with what she assumed was Terra's sarcasm. "No, I think I'm good" she scratched the back of her hair and trailed her eyes away from the basically nude figure in front of her. "Do you want to go inside then or are you…going to change?"

Terra checked on her cleavage, which seemed to holding up pretty well in her outfit. "Well I'm fine going out like this but…I could use a drink, so yeah just come in okay?"

Terra invited Helga in side while she headed upstairs for a moment, leaving Helga to examine the first floor. The town house was a similar style to that of her own, but a little more packed with boxes and furniture. "Might as well change while you're up there!" Helga shouted, hoping the awkward conversation wouldn't become more awkward thanks to Terra's attire.

"Whatever you say mom!" Terra shouted down.

Helga peaked at the shoes on the floor, but was unable to tell if there were more or less than usual making it impossible to tell if Terra actually had a guest over or not. Heading into the living room, Helga could smell cigarettes, and let out a few coughs from the overwhelming smell. "Always a pleasure to be here…" she muttered.

"What was that?" Terra asked, coming down the stairs.

"Oh nothing…" Helga turned to see her friend now in a T shirt two sizes too small and booty shorts walking towards the chair opposite Helga.

"What's up buttercup?"

"So we're alone?"

"I already told you my family wasn't around Helga, who else would be here?" more from the queen of sarcasm.

"Okay just…confirming. I didn't even know if you'd be home…you didn't answer your phone"

"Yeah because when I contact you, you don't respond!"

"You're mad at me then?" she asked as Terra sat down.

"I'm a little ticked sister! We have a perfect night to throw a party at your house for once and you blow me off, I call you to come over a few days later and you don't respond..."

"I did come though"

"But you didn't! You basically randomly showed up at the mini mall, and yes it WAS lucky for you to actually come but you didn't know we'd be there…did you?"

"No I did Terra, I went to see you I mean…come on? Why else would I be there by myself that late?" she lied.

"I dunno, and then I tried to call you the other night and you ignored my call!"

"I didn't have the phone near me, I was sleeping"

"Then why did it cut off after two rings? Someone denied the call Helga"

"it must've been someone else then…" oh but she knew. '_dammit Arnold, you should've let it ring…_'

"Like who?"

'Crap' Helga thought to herself. '_If I say it was Phoebe then Terra will yell at her later on, if I tell her it was Arnold then…oh boy…'_ Helga adjusted her hair, pretending to look like she didn't want to admit who it was, when instead she just didn't even know who to say it was.

"Don't you tell me it was your parents, I even went to your house to talk to you and your dad was like; uhhhh" in a mocking stupidly sounding person tone "_I dunno where Olga is, why should I care_… like really? He just blows me off like some sort of salesman?"

"I get it…he's not exactly the nicest tool in the shed…"

"No shit, so I gave him a piece of my mind like you outta!"

"I will when I want to Terra…It's my parents and my problem not yours…"

"No. Fuck that. You're problems are my problems. I'm not going to sit around all day with a moppy ass bitch whining about her parents"

"I don't whine about my parents"

"No but obviously something fucked you up during the party, luckily we did our best to make you better"

Something snapped in Helga when she heard those words. Her eyes trailed across the room, as in her head the friendly Helga walked by the angry Helga and tagged out. '_It's all yours girl_' she thought. "Make me better?" Helga's eyes flared red, it wasn't the Helga who liked to party or the Helga who was emotionally distraught, this was the Helga who hated her parents and hated people and hated Arnold.

"Yeah, make you better. Throw all yo-"

"-Listen Bimbo" Helga roared "letting some punk ass dude into my room to fuck my problems away doesn't help worth shit!"

"Excuse me?" Terra replied, her brow raised.

"Do you know how fucking gross I felt after listening to Vesper express to me what I used my mouth for that night?"

"What you're too good for sex is that it? What's your problem…is it so wrong for someone to like you?"

"He doesn't like me! He just wanted a good fucking time…"

"But that's better than nothing, Helga I want to make you happy!"

"So you bully my best friend and then when one other guy on this planet tries to help me, you go to his store to beat the living shit out of him?"

"That boy thinks he's tough as nails, like he's better than us…he's nothing Helga, you think Vesper is just in it for a good time?" Terra stood, toe to toe with the queen of mean Helga G. Pataki as if she could handle it. "Arnold simply wants to get rid of his own V card in the easiest way possible, with a girl who doesn't think she's worth anyone's attention!"

"You don't even know Arnold, you barely even know me!"

"I know that I can't give you what you want apparently?"

"No you can't." Helga sighed. "What I want is to figure out who I am, not live like I don't care about tomorrow…there is more to me then that Terra"

"Then what do you want Helga?"

"I want to be able to live with myself, with who I am…so that I can be open with others for one things…I want you to accept who I care for!"

Terra snorted. "You're joking, Arnold?! The guy you always hate on, the one who was going to take you away or some shit and then left for another country for two years? THAT ARNOLD?!"

"I can forgive him for that…if he can forgive me for always being a bitch to him…"

"Please. You've done nothing wrong to him"

"I've done plenty to him!" She defended. "I've known him longer than anyone!"

"So now you've suddenly decided that you feel bad and you're going to let him in!?"

"Yeah" Helga said with confidence. "I've decided I don't want to shun him away, I want to try and see if the two of us can be friends or something"

"Oh ho, ho…Helga's got a crush"

"Helga's also got Betsy and the five avengers to shove down your throat!"

"Hey! You wanna fight in my house, bring it on!"

But then Helga took a step back, and a step down. "I…I don't want to fight you Terra…I came here because I just…enough is enough…I like you…I do, I think you're a bit excessive with some of the stuff you and the guys do…but you're still my friend"

"Okay…?"

"Right now though, I don't need your judgements or you telling me what's best or anything, what I need right now is your patients…maybe in a week or maybe by the time school comes back I'll call you up and want to hang out, but I don't want to get drunk and I don't WANT to see Vesper…Ever. Period"

"Alright…Alright…fine…" She scoffed. "So I guess this is goodbye?"

"This is…this is…a time out. The world of Terra is just a bit much for my head right now, you've got your ways of dealing with life and I've got mine"

"Okay then…well I've got to get back upstairs right now so if you wouldn't mind getting the HELL out of my house if you don't mind"

"Okay…I'm sorry Terra"

"Oh no problem. One of my best friend's says I'm too wild for her…yeah I'm absolutely cool with that. I'm just…going upstairs to write in my diary about it okay?"

Helga meanwhile made her way to the door, it was clear she wasn't making much of an impact. Further words would only provoke Terra and Helga by extention more."Okay Terra…"

"I'll just my knife and play some 'our toxic love affair' and cut myself for a few hours as I question why you won't love me…"

Meanwhile Helga was putting on her shoes. "I get it Terra…"

"Oh I hope so. I hope you really…REALLY GET something."

"Goodbye Terra…"

* * *

Man that was a lot of profanity, I apologize for that. Oh well, so what happens now? Well we've got a chapter focusing on Arnold but things aren't going to go so well. I think next week is the other "make or break" point of this story, and hopefully you won't be disappointed.

I'll see you all next week in Chapter 20 "In the name of love"


	20. In the name of love

Hey everyone, another Thursday and another chapter. This one is an Arnold focus and some people will not be pleased with this. For those who have stuck around for the journey I appreciate it. We're almost done with only a few chapters left, and then who knows.

Please enjoy, and warning the following contains course language and violence.

* * *

"so I told that coot to get off my steps before I let Abner infect him with rabies!" Grandpa Shortman announced, swinging his spoon back and forth between Arnold and his wife. It was fairly late in the evening and although the three had already had some form of food earlier in the evening, Grandma Shortman thought it would be best to have one family 'meal' before going to bed.

"Abner does NOT have rabies…" Arnold mumbled with some soup still in his mouth.

"I know THAT. But if these weirdos are going to keep coming to my home and tell me what pets I can and cannot own then I'll give 'em a piece of my mind" Grandpa Phil replied.

"I don't understand, here I thought we farm folks were allowed to own us a good share of pork" Grandma Gertie asked with a Texan accent and genuine concern. She was always a bit wacky, dressing up and treating random days like holidays, like today when she acted like a farmer by to wearing overalls and a red plaid shirt with a straw hat. It was unclear between the two boys, an unspoken thought about how much of this was her acting out and how much was a genuine mental health risk.

"Cheese and crackers pookie!" Phil let out, shaking his head. "We're not farmers and we're NOT going to eat Abner!"

"Then how are we going to keep making the dough to sustain us till the crops grow pa?" she spoke with a childish demeanor, despite her age.

"Ugh…we'll last Pookie I swear...that's if you stop making these weird meals too…what is this anyways?"

"It's peas and tomatoes Pa."

Phil studied the object on his spoon "Peas eh? Look more like nuts to me" he took a quick taste "…tastes a little salty too…"

"Grandpa, you'd be able to tell what they were if you WORE your glasses!" Arnold commented, getting up from his seat and walking to the sink.

"Geez Arnold maybe YOU should start wearing glasses" Phil announced. "Last time I checked your Grandma over here wears the glasses and I'm the bald one okay?"

"It's because you're not wearing your glasses that you're not allowed to help the guys fix the A/C old man. Wear those glasses we bought." Arnold said, glaring at his grandpa and pointing at him.

"I'm the bald one. Not the one with glasses…" Phil kept moving his finger back and forth between him and his wife, shaking his head "We're not switching places…no offense Pookie"

"None taken Pa, sides I need these here eye pieces to learn how to read next spring"

"Pookie You're 90! Not 4!"

Gertie let out a small giggle, batting her eyelashes at her annoyed and confused husband "Aw shucks Mister, you might make a wife outta me yet"

"Ho Boy…"

"Listen if you two are done arguing about…well whatever it is you two are arguing about" Arnold announced as he put his dish in the dishwasher. "I think I'm going to head over to Gerald's…"

"Hey you're actually going out, no more movies for you to rummage through?" Phil asked, getting up and taking both his and his wife's plates away.

"I've got another one or two to get through, but I think Reptar can wait"

"Reptar…geez" he took a step towards his grandson, his eyes focused on a high corner of the room with the tip of his thumb in his mouth. "I remember back in my day that goody two shoed lizard was a menace…destroying down town Osaka with Robert Clear commenting on the horrors of mankind's twisted creations…man is it a classic…"

"Wow I can't believe you actually remember that much"

"I'm old I get it Arnold but I ain't six feet under yet ya hear me?"

Arnold let out a defensive sign, motioning for his grandpa to keep away. "Okay there Captain Blur" He took a step back and withdrew himself from the room.

"Hey at least I'm a better driver then you kiddo!"

"Well we'll see who gets suspended when they crash and who simply has a fine to pay" Arnold shouted down the hall.

He adjusted his laces, grabbing his backpack with his stuff in it and headed out the door. It was a surprisingly and scarily cold night out, it had really dropped down over the last few days for no real reason and although Arnold welcomed the wind on his face, he knew it would be a disastrously cold winter if Mother Nature didn't figure herself out. The bus finally pulled up to its stop and Arnold headed inside, he wasn't listening to his usual music and instead got out his phone to see if Gerald had contacted him back yet about a meet up, but there was still no message. Not exactly panicking, but still not wanting to intrude, Arnold decided to call up Gerald and see if it was okay that Arnold was on his way. "Come on pick up you lazy bag of bones…" the phone continued to ring for another moment before noise started to come out the other end. It was distorted and faint but something sounded human. "You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" a confused Gerald asked.

"Are you really sleeping?"

"Lay off me, I'm not working today and Phoebe is busy with your girlfriend"

"Dude."

"You've known me too long to wonder why I'm shooting jokes your way about that girl"

"She's not my girlfriend."

"But you're not friends"

"I don't know what I want… but do I really WANT to be just friends you know?"

"Yeah you just want to get your lips on that succulent, warm behind of hers"

"Ugh the imagery…" he groaned.

"Oh don't tell me something like that is phasing your mind…or your body"

"my…actually I'm on a bus…I'll leave the comment till later.."

"Something about your pants?"

"Something like that"

"So you want to leave an awkward joke til a point later where it no longer becomes relevant and thus MORE awkward…touché Arnold"

"So do you have any word on THAT subject?"

"My intel is as…well…worthless as always brother. I can't get a peep out of my girlfriend"

"What your tactics can't op…don't do the trick?"

"Not in that regard no but yes I CAN open her up"

Arnold sighed. "Thanks"

"No problem. Curiosity is getting the better of you?"

"I'm just wondering if it was a mistake you know?"

"What you think making out with Helga G. Pataki was a bad idea? I remember a long time ago…hell…not long ago that I made a few jokes about how bad it would be to get with her"

"Don't even get me started on what I remember from that"

"But the point is you think you did something wrong?"

"I think I might've taken advantage of her…"

"So you hate thinking about that night?"

"No man I enjoyed myself, I wish I could…well I wish it wasn't like that specifically…but I would like something like that to happen again"

"Maybe if it were with someone like Lila or Alexis or dare I say…Rhoda?"

"Ew. No…not with her"

"So what was the problem then?"

"Not Helga…"

"So you're the problem?"

"It's kinda hard to explain right now, I thought I had made sense of it in my head but I guess not…"

"Hey man take whatever time you need, but was that why you were calling?"

"No actually I was just going to say I'm on my way to your house."

"Did you bring the pornos?"

"Oh absolutely" He joked.

"Good, how close are you, I kinda need a little longer to get up you know?"

"Oh that's fine…I'll just get off at the next stop and walk the rest of the way to your house okay? Twenty minutes sound good?"

"absolutely. See you then"

"Cya"

And just like he said Arnold headed off the bus at the next available stop. He was familiar enough with the bus route to know how to keep going to Gerald after all these years of getting there. It was getting fairly dark out, maybe it was a sign of the coming autumn or just the fact that the neighborhood wasn't as well lit up. Arnold headed down the main street before going off through a park, which he was using as a short cut. The playground was empty and all that filled the air was the sound of the city. Passing the playground and continuing on the cement path Arnold decided to put his music back on, as he turned it on in his hand a sudden force threw him and the device to the ground. His hat fell slightly off and his music player flew further down the trail, it's battery casing fallen off and it's actual battery rolling off into the grass. "Ah…Shit" he groaned. He turned his head to see two figures looming over him, one wearing a beanie and the other wearing a hoodie. He was further away from any light and beyond the fact that they were human, who they were or what they looked like remained a mystery. "What the hell…" he started, trying to pull himself onto his knee. A sudden jolt of pain formed in his left shoulder, which had taken most of the damage from the fall.

"Hey there Shortmin. Just going for a walk I see" the one in the beanie stated. Their hair was in a ponytail but it was obviously a boy. The other in the hoodie which appeared two sizes too large was harder to determine the gender of.

"Fuck. Darren!? Is that you?" Arnold roared.

"Hey congratulations, want a prize?" his enemy hissed.

He tried his best to ignore the pain and get to his feet, his back turned to Darren as he looked for his battery. "I'm not in the mood for you right now, if you're here to try and mug me or something then I suggest you both leave now"

"You really don't give us much credit do you!" Darren growled, pushing Arnold into the grass "I'm not here for some fucking pocket change…I'm here for revenge!"

That last hit took the wind out of Arnold, he now was laying on the grass coughing. "Wha…are yo…talking…about?"

"My lady friend here says you might've done some damage to our friend Helga. Here I was thinking about coming to talk some sense into her and then isn't it my lucky day when I see you on the bus talking about Helga like she's some sort of play thing!"

Arnold got up again, it wasn't as painful as the first fall but internally he was far from perfect. A barrage of swear words swirled in his head, all of which he wanted to shout to his opponent but he knew that wouldn't do. "Back off, if you're really so dumb as to listen to half a conversation and assume that's what was being said by me then I honestly can't believe you've made it this far in life" secretly the insult made some part of Arnold feel good.

"Big mouth on the short man, what if I don't back off…what if I get a little bit closer…you gonna rape me too?" the sound of that claim made Arnold snap. He continued to bend and move his fingers behind his back, trying to force the thought of hitting Darren out of his mind.

"I think you misunderstand" Arnold announced with a smirk. "Obviously you're that dumb if you think that the idea of getting your ass kicked is something sexual like that Darren…it's okay…I'm here to set the record straight for you"

Darren dashed forward taking a swing at Arnold with a right hook but the 16 year old boy, who's grandmother was an expert in the field of fighting had given him a few tips over the years. Shifting his weight, Arnold slid sideways away from the blow, grabbing Darren's arm with both of his own. "So what?" Arnold asked coyly. "You're slow in all regards too?" Darren tried to force his arm back, but Arnold twisted it forcing Darren to bend forward to try and stop the pain. "You don't want to do this" he roared.

"Fuck you Short man!" Darren continued to lower his body, hiding his arm below Arnold's field of vision before popping up, embracing the pain in his arm and slamming his left fist into Arnold's eye.

Not ready for it, Arnold stumbled backwards releasing his target's arm and holding his painful eye. "swing at me once, shame on you…" he said, trying to handle the pain and open his eye. "swing at me twice…shame…ON ME!" Arnold rushed towards Darren and gave him a powerful blow to his stomach with his right leg. Darren actually spat up a little bit from the pain, almost crumbing to the ground. Adjusting his footing Arnold watch Darren stumble around before slamming his foot against the ground for a brief second and then swinging it at Darren's lowered face.

Almost like some sort of action film, Darren fell and rolled onto the grass using what strength he had to get away from the painful concrete floor. "Holy shit you actually want to do this Arnold. Let me warn you though, I mean business"

Giving Darren a second to get on his feet, Arnold took a look over to the other figure who had their arms out at the sides in fear, almost as if they were going to dash away. Taking a closer look, he saw the strands of hair coving what appearing to be a girl's face. "Not going to fight me tonight Terra? Worried that a man might actually challa-"

A loud scream came from Darren, who flung himself at Arnold and forced him onto the grass on the other side of the concrete path. "Get the fuck away from her! It's you and me…YOU AND ME!" getting back up faster than his opponent he pulled himself on top of Arnold's stomach and tried to squeeze Arnold's neck as much as he could.

With adrenaline now taking control, Arnold used all the power he could muster to force Darren's hands off his throat. He moved his enemies' hands to either side of his head forcing Darren to get a little closer, close enough for him to then smash his face against Darren's and then throw him off. The pain formed again in his eye but he was no longer focused on it, and along with that the cuts on his lips were starting to open. He could taste blood. "You…" he started, whipping away the blood "you just can't see the whole picture can you?!" he forced himself onto his knees and grabbed Darren's collar and shaking his head profusely. "I can be good for her! You…you're the bad guy here!"

"No Arnold…" another voice whispered in his ear. "You're the bad one here…you don't even love her!"

He turned to face her, who rammed into his stomach and screamed with all her might. "What are you-" he tried to ask, as she flung her arm into his stomach. It was a weird sensation, a type of pain that Arnold wasn't familiar with. Then another spot on him started to feel weird. He pushed Terra off, but with her weight no longer against him he tumbled to the ground. He looked down to see what appeared to be holes in his shirt, and blood starting to flow slowly out.

"You don't deserve her!" she whimpered.

"This is my figh...what did you do?" Darren asked with concern. "Dudette holy shit!" he pulled himself up, holding his head as he moved over to the side of the girl, who was now on the floor crying. Looking over Arnold saw what appeared to be a knife in her hand, he was actually stabbed. "Jesus, I'm getting you out of here" Darren threw the girl onto his back, taking the knife from her and putting it in his pocket as he started to run in another direction.

Arnold's mind focused on the pain, the rage in his head had subsided and fear was forming. He tried his best to hold the two spots but blood was leaking faster now and he couldn't keep the pressure. "No, no, no…" he whispered. He tightly pulled his shirt to the side, covering his injuries with actual shirt while he rummaged through his pocket for his phone. No matter how hard he tried to focus, his hand kept shaking as he fumbled to dial 911. As he held down the button for the call to go out, he looked to see the hooded girl and Darren running into the distance. He tried to best remember what they were wearing, but the pain was too much for him to focus on the task.

Before a second ring the line picked up. "9-1-1 emergency dispatch, what is the problem?"

"hello…Hi…uhm…." Arnold began. "I'm…I'm at a park here in Hillwood…"

"Yes sir, what is the problem? Are you okay?"

"I've…I've been stabbed…twice…I'm at Bartlett park…I don't think I can get up…"

* * *

So yes, I've stabbed Arnold. For those who dislike that then I apologize for not meeting your standards of dramatics. Arnold lives in Hillwood, a somewhat mopy sort of New York-ish place with lots of people. We have alcoholics, broken down buildings and crazies...oh the crazies. Speaking of...Pooky showed up. Hope everyone enjoyed her. The point is, Arnold is bound to run into some bad people at some point and this is the truth of it. He's going to live and walk again I assure you, but for now he's lying on the floor wondering what just happened.

Next week we've got Helga's response in part 2 of the wrap up arc. See you all next week in Hey Arnold! Open Your Heart Chapter 21: Betsy and her five Avengers!


	21. Betsy and her five avengers

Hey everyone, getting really close to 5000 views. Amazing!

Anyways, have fun reading!

* * *

Helga sat at her desk looking blankly into her computer screen as she let the sound of a band play command her head. She tried to picture each musician on their instruments when they became the focus of that part, but it was hard to trace behind the lyrics. She had heard the song a few times and although not her favourite song of all time, it was her favourite of the band. It wasn't hard to find Alex's band online, but not knowing much about them or what they played made it hard for her to tell what songs would actually be to her liking. As Alex finished singing and the sound of the drums and the bass was left to bring the song to a close, Helga returned to reality. She checked to see a flickering orange box on her screen, indicating that someone wanted her attention. Flipping between programs she saw that although Helga was somewhat busy, Phoebe was still hoping for a conversation with her friend.

**SO YOU'RE GOING TO TALK TO HER ON TUESDAY HELGA?** Phoebe had typed.

Helga shook her head and started typing herself. **YEAH SHE'S APPARENTLY PRETTY BUSY THIS WEEK, WHICH SUCKS HARD BUT I CAN BARE WITH IT**

**YOU KNOW I'M AROUND IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT MORE.**

**I KNOW BUT I STILL WORRY THAT ILL UPSET HER WITH WHAT I DID; IT'S JUST UNNERVING IS ALL.**

**HELGA, SHE'S NOT ABOUT TO FIRE YOU BECAUSE YOU KISSED A BOY, OR BECAUSE YOU TOLD YOUR OTHER FRIENDS TO BACK OFF FOR A WHILE.**

**I'M SORRY HAVE WE MET? BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE I'VE TOLD YOU I'M CRAZY.**

**AND I'M PRETTY SURE I HAVE EVIDENCE TO SAY OTHERWISE MY FRIEND.**

**STARTING ANOTHER TRACK. BE WARNED. MAY TAKE A WHILE TO RESPOND.**

**I'LL STILL BE HERE.**

Helga let a small smile form, watching as the messenger program revealed a small flashing pencil icon beside Phoebe's name indicating she was typing something to her at this very moment. Hating the wait, she distracted herself by switching back to her web browser and clicking on another link to another of Alex's song. She noticed this one had fairly more hits than the other ones and clicked on it. The info on the track revealed it to be a remake of another song which Helga had already listened to that night, it began with a piano playing softly, which was something fairly different then Alex's other songs. Interested in the beat Helga let her hands move which each note, even though she had no experience with playing the instrument. Her eyes noticed the flashing box again and she turned her attention back to Phoebe.

**BRB. BOYFRIEND CALLING.**

"Oh joy" she murmured. Despite his kindness earlier in the week with driving her home, Helga was still reluctant to let Gerald date Phoebe. She was still worried that he was simply in it for whatever sexual advances he could take on Phoebe, who had apparently let some of his advances work. For a moment she thought back to the images of a topless Phoebe making out with Gerald on Phoebe's bed before Alex's voice finally began on the song. The lyrics were fairly touching, and it hit a sour spot in Helga's stomach. Without intending too, she put her legs up on her chair and hid her face under her crossed arms, with images in her mind of everyone forgetting about her. As the song started its second verse, she regained control of her emotions and sat back in a normal position, coming to terms with the ideas present in the song. "That blow hits a little too close to home thank you Alex" she said, turning off the song. She looked back to see Phoebe had posted again.

**HELGA…**

A look of confusion formed on the silent Helga's face. **WHAT?** She replied.

**I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS MY PLACE TO TELL YOU, BECAUSE THIS REALLY ISN'T SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE HIS GRANDPARENTS…BUT ARNOLD...HE'S IN THE HOSPITAL…**

Helga's eyes widened and her jaw actually dropped slightly. WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED? TELL ME! Helga continued to tap her hand against her desk, desperately waiting for Phoebe to reply. ANSWER ME!

**I'M JUST WRITING DOWN THE INFO NOW OKAY?**

**IS HE HURT?**

**YEAH.**

**WHY DON'T HIS GRANDPARENTS KNOW?**

**CHECKING…** she began, and then replied with **HE DIDN'T WANT TO SCARE THEM** a moment later.

**SO HE TOLD GERALD?**

**THE HOSPITAL ASKED FOR SOMEONE TO CONTACT, ARNOLD ASKED FOR THEM TO CALL GERALD.**

**WHICH HOSPITAL IS HE AT? VAN DYKE OR KLEIN?**

**VAN DYKE. GERALD IS WITH HIM AND IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN UPSET AND MAD.**

**WHAT HAPPENED?!**

**ARNOLD WAS STABBED AT THE PARK, THE POLICE HAVEN'T SPOKEN WITH HIM YET, BUT HE SAID HE DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT. GERALD THINKS IT'S A GIRL BASED ON SOMETHING ARNOLD APPARENTLY WHISPERED.**

Helga squeezed her knees in anger, trying to deal with the absolute fury she had storming inside of her. I HAVE A PRETTY DAMN GOOD IDEA MYSELF. Helga got off her chair and threw it across the room, screaming out in anger. Fuming mad she let out several shaky breaths before looking back at the screen.

**WHO?**

**AN OLD FRIEND WHO I'M GOING TO GO VISIT.**

**HELGA! LET THE POLICE HANDLE IT.**

**NO! I HAVE TO BE SURE! THE LINE HAS TO BE DRAWN HERE AND NOW. THIS FAR, NO FURTHER!** And with that she slammed her computer shut, putting it on standby mode and making Phoebe realize her friend was leaving.

A set of footsteps could be heard coming towards the room as Helga looked around her room for a pair of pants. Sadly she couldn't find any clean ones and grabbed a pair that she hadn't worn in a week, which for the most part appeared to look good enough. A loud slamming could be heard at her door. "What the hell is going on in there?" Bob asked from the hallway.

"Nothing Dad!" Helga replied, rolling her eyes.

"Crimney, you going to keep playing hard to get or are you going to actually talk to me?"

Helga unlocked and opened the door slightly, revealing her face to her father. "Nothing is going on okay? I'm just getting ready to go out"

Using his superior strength, Bob pushed the door out enough to see the chair on the floor. "What the heck are you doing to-"

"You're chair?" she finished for him.

"…The Chair."

"I slipped…"

"Prancing around the room again? You're not eight anymore."

"Oh gee thanks for reminding me I'm NOT allowed to be feminine in this house…it's all muscles and beer right?"

"Hey." He stopped her. "Don't you say for a damn second that I didn't let you be a girl in this house. What about all that junk we gave you, the makeup and the girly clothes and all that"

"Which was basically Olga's when she was my age…"

"And the pink cellphone?"

"You actually noticed the colour, nice going Bob-o"

"Do you have to mock me every time we talk huh? I'm pretty sure you learned about respecting people" he took a step forward. "And on top of that respecting your elders" and another "And on top of that, learning to respect your goddamn parents!"

She took a deep breath and looked him in the eye, completely serious and strong. "Going to hit me daddy?"

Bob put his hand on his face and rubbed his temple, letting out a faint whistle. "Sheesh, you really think I'm the devil don't you?"

"I'm still trying to find the horns underneath that fake coloured hair"

"For someone who tries to make a statement with her look you're really going to take a shot at my hair style? Really?"

"No comment"

"Huh, looks like I found the end of your line kiddo. You're out of complaints, one liners and are finally out of words to say…now you listen and you listen good. You want to get out of this house, you tell me why I hear things being thrown around, a girl screaming and have to deal with my heart skipping a beat or two while trying to enjoy my Saturday evening…Or I'm going to keep in front of that door frame all night."

"…Tough guy with his long speech eh?"

"Yeah. I am the tough guy, and you're the little girl…My little girl"

"Fine. I'm going to an ex friend's house for the second time this week to give her a piece of my mind"

"Sounds like someone pissed you off more than I do…what'd she do? Call you a girly or something?"

"She hurt my friend"

"What that Asian girl?"

"No, just forget it…"

"You going to give her a taste of Jim Bruce and the Marauders?" he said, cracking his knuckles.

"Huh?"

"Don't ask, just some of the nicknames I gave to my fists when I deal with thieves at the emporium…you know Jim Bruce the famous actor and-"

"You're college football team."

"Yeah…hey you remember that?"

She scoffed. "I remember more then I should let's just say that…and a lot more then mom…"

"Looks like you've got more than a big mouth Olga."

"Helga. Dad. And yes, I intend to beat the shit out of that girl"

"Then we better get going before it gets any later." He walked out into the hallway and headed down the stairs.

Helga peaked her head out to the hallway and looked down to him. "We?"

"What you think I'd make a big deal out of my youngest daughter disappearing for two days then not want to make sure she doesn't disappear again? You really are dense."

She ran back into her room, grabbing a sweater. "I don't need an old man backing me up in a fight"

Bob let out a small chuckle as he put on his jacket. "No but you need someone with a car to get across town before the buses cut out for the night" he hollered.

"For real?"

"Yes now come on kid before I change my mind…"

"Yeah, yeah calm down"

Despite being in a whirlwind of emotions because of Arnold, a small faint smile formed on her face at her father's sudden kindness. She knew she couldn't expect any more than the ride, but for the time being it was more then she could've hoped for, especially considering the fact she just barely didn't have enough change for the bus. The ride was long and tense, with neither Helga nor her father saying anything. He made a few comments as he continued to listen to the football game on the radio, but nothing Helga really cared for or paid attention to. Instead her mind was busy thinking of ways she could 'slay' Terra for what she had done. This was as mad as Helga had ever been in her life, and with her wild imagination she couldn't picture anything less than Terra in extreme pain for her crimes. After a good twenty minutes of driving they appeared at the top of Terra's court and Helga could see lights on in her house, she was home.

"So I guess this is goodbye?" Helga asked.

"No, this is me wishing you good luck. I'm staying right here thank you very much. I know you're not one for it but I'd appreciate you waving your cellphone if you want me to come out"

"We'll you said it first, I'm not one to do something like that"

"If you're going to do something stupid Helga I'm not going to stop you, I'm just warning you that you'll live with it the rest of your life…so be ready for that"

"This might be stupid dad…but for everything I've been through, for everything I stand for…for me not to do this, it would destroy me each and every day…but…but thanks"

"No problem kid"

"You called me Helga; you do remember my name…"

"Did you ever stop to think that it was a nickname, and not me being completely stupid?"

"Maybe if you explained it at least ten years ago, then maybe I would've"

"Alright Olga…"

"I'll come after you next bub"

"We'll see…come on, I'm missing my game I want to see some action tonight…"

"Yeah, yeah…weirdo"

Helga pulled herself out of her father's hummer and headed down the street looking at all the houses in the neighborhood to see if anyone else was outside. She knew in her heart of hearts that she would probably drag Terra outside, not caring if it caused a scene or not. This was it, all the good times and bad between her and Terra were about to disappear in an instant of pure rage. Every single part of Helga, the poet, the lonely girl, the sexual deviant, the romantic, the girly girl and even the part of her that she showed off to everyone but Phoebe and Dr. Bliss…the angry side of her, all came together in one moment to send Terra to hell. Arriving at the door, Helga made it very clear she was around by slamming on the door with her fist. It tingled a little, but didn't exactly hurt. She checked her other hand which was no longer bandaged and moved it around a little bit, all the scabs and the fading bruises may be replaced by new ones in a moment. She was suddenly alerted by the sound of someone running closer and finally opening the door slightly. Terra showed her face, which honestly looked terrified.

"The fuck are you doing here Helga?" she asked angrily.

"What the fuck did you do!?" Helga replied, following her father's previous actions and pushing the door wide open.

"What are you talking about? I'm a little fucking busy right now and I can't deal with your 'I'm too good for you' shit!"

"Oh yeah, causing havoc in the world is really keeping you busy eh Terra?" Helga raised her clenched fist. "Let me show you havoc!"

"Are you out of your fucking mind Pataki!? I'm not going to fucking fight you! I've got a mentally disturbed Lita downstairs balling her eyes out and you want to come to my house and cause a scene!?"

"Oh yeah you're really sitting around with the girls having a sob story night! BULLSHIT TERRA. BULLSHIT!"

"She is helping me…" a soft voice let out from down the hall. The two arguing teens turned to see Lita, hiding herself under a blanket against the sidewall. Her eyes were tear filled and her whole body was shaking, this girl was having nothing short then a mental breakdown.

"I did it for you Helga…I did it for you…" she kept repeating…

* * *

Hopefully you guys enjoy. True there was no violence, but I wasn't sure how you guys would find the last chapter of violence let alone this incident. We're coming to a close very soon, hopefully you've enjoyed it. Next time I promise I will have an editor to look over my mistakes and such.

See you next week in Chapter 22: Little sister


	22. Little sister

So before we get to part 2 of the finale, I just want to thank everyone for reading so far. over 5000 views! Holy cow!

* * *

Helga was completely shocked, none of it seemed to make sense to her. How could someone like Lita be responsible for what had just occurred? Her fist felt like a thousand bricks and dropped down alongside all the feelings of anger and vengeance in her chest. The only word that she could muster was a simple "Lita…" but inside she had a thousand questions flowing.

The sound of someone heading up some stairs was heard and from the kitchen Darren peaked his head around the corner to discover the three girls all awkwardly standing around. "Jesus Lita…" he said in a mix of annoyance and worry. "Please just come back down stairs."

Lita slowly descended to the floor, her hair was both on her face and flowing sliding down the wall she was on. Gently she let out a few words but no one could quiet hear them. Darren came to her side and pulled her against his chest, hoping she would hold him but instead her hands remained somewhere hidden in the large black blanket she had covered herself in. "forgive me…" she let out.

"Oh honey, please…we don't hate you…" he replied calmly.

"Fuck…Fuck!...FUCK!" Terra screamed. "Is someone going to explain to me what is going on, I've spent the last thirty minutes trying to get words out of the two of you and then this bitch…" she said turning to face Helga. "Comes in expecting me to explain something I don't even know about…"

Helga stared blankly at Terra for a moment, blinking quickly in hopes of getting control of her brain. "You…you really didn't do it?"

"Didn't do what?!" she roared. Helga hadn't realized that Terra and her friends were really so uninformed. Terra never told Lita about what Vesper did, and Terra never told Lita about Helga '_wanting out_'. This wasn't the close '_family_' that Helga thought it was.

"It doesn't matter, she doesn't know what she's talking about!" Darren stated.

"She's saying more then you are, I hate to break it to you but right now I'm more inclined to talk to her then you guys!" She said, pointing at Helga.

The girl being pointed at swallowed hard, what she was about to say made no sense. "Terra…I think…I think Lita tried to kill Arnold…"

Lita broke down, letting out a high pitched squeal before hiding under the blanket and lying on the floor. "She didn't kill anyone!" Darren interrupted. "Leave this fucking house now Helga!"

Terra looked back at Helga, looking at her as if she was insane. "Are you really going to sit here and tell me that one of your best friends is an attempted murderer?"

"I don't know!" she defended. "Crimney, All I know is that the person I just told you to back off of is in the hospital from a stab wound…"

"So you instantly come to my house to what? Kill me?"

Helga snickered a little. "Somewhere deep down inside yeah I did want to kill you, but that wouldn't help me feel any better…"

Terra let out a loud "Ha!" shaking her head at the comment. "What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why would I try and kill some boy you have a crush on?!"

Helga hesitated, she knew what she wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. "Because…I thought that maybe what we'd talked about…you not being able to give me what I wanted and…" she knew what she wanted to say but she couldn't spit it out. Helga shook her head and then turned back to Terra, staring her down. "Because I think you're in love with me" she said softly, hiding her face.

Terra turned to Darren, and then back to Helga. "Are…WOW you're fucking dumb kid…no like legit."

"And why am I dumb?!" Helga defended.

"Because you think I'm gay for you…" Terra replied. "No…no offense…Lita…"

"Lita?..." Helga questioned.

"Are you fucking blind Pataki?!" Darren asked.

"Helga, that poor girl has had a thing for you ever since you two first met. I know that sounds weird I get it…" Terra got extremely close to Helga, staring her down. "But just imagine if you can that someone out there, who hides it every day, who has to put on a fake look to keep you from knowing…was in love with you for years so tell me Helga…" Terra pushed her finger onto Helga's chest. "Do you understand? Can you get it through-"She began poking her chest with each word "Your. Thick. Fucking. Skull?"

Helga slapped Terra's hand away. "Back off princess...I know a thing or two about that…I just…" Her eyes drifted to the figure on the floor, who was balling her eyes out. "I was too busy looking elsewhere that I never…looked in front of me…"

"Yeah well obviously, and yet you somehow manage to think it's me who wants to screw your brains out. No honey…I'm with Vesper, to whom you interrupted my time with the other night…"

"Vesper?" a part of Helga wanted to hurl, the idea that Terra knew…no…SENT Vesper Helga's way despite being with Terra was completely insane. It had to be. "Are you…what the hell is wrong with you Terra?"

"What? I'm my own woman…if I want to enjoy the company of a man then I will…you think this is some cartoon or something, where real people can't have a relationship like that? It's called friends with benefits honey, look it up some time"

"But you send him my way?!"

"I was thought you needed a night away from your real life…so I sent him your way…what is Vesper not good enough for you?"

"No…no he's not. Me and him are…just friends. No…WE WERE…just friends" Helga said, swiping her hand away from her head.

"You're pathetic you realize that? Thinking you're so much better than, we've got our issues Helga and we deal with it how we want…I thought that's what you wanted too"

"I don't want to deal with my problems that way anymore…I want a change!"

"Whatever…now take your 'too good for us' ass and get out of my house" Helga scowled at her opponent, before seeing Darren pick up Lita and revealing her face "Oh No." she rose her arm "You are not getting close to Lita".

"I wouldn't dare hurt Lita, I'm not that cruel Terra"

A snort escaped the pierced black haired girl. "Oh yeah, now you've got some humanity…uh huh"

"Yeah I do…" Helga saw Lita finally looking towards her, her eyes red and her jaw shaking. "Lita…I didn't know…"

"He said…he said…he said terrible things about you Helga…" Lita mumbled. "I heard him on the phone…it was a mistake…taking advantage of you…" she cried, listing what she remembered Arnold saying.

"Then that's his purgative. You don't need to defend me Lita…you never had to…"

"But I wanted to…I wanted to save you from the bad guy…"

Helga turned her eyes back to Terra, who was still staring at her. The standoff continued for another second before Terra finally put her arm down and Helga was let through, coming closer to Lita. "I don't think he's a bad guy…he wasn't who I meant before…"

"Helga I just wanted to…I had to…"

Helga leaned in and put her hands on Lita's shoulders. "You just had to do something to prove how much I meant to you…you had to stand up for what you believed in"

"Mhmm…"

"I know that feeling Lita…"

"That's why you're here isn't it…"

Helga let out a sigh. "It…it sorta is…"

"Please…kill me." She spoke softly.

"What!?" Darren, Terra and Helga shouted.

"No, no, no, no!" Helga repeated, shaking her head. "I'd never hurt you Lita, you're like…my little sister"

"You hate your sister…"

"Yeah….because she's a snob. You're the sister I always wanted…someone I care for…someone I love"

"Love?"

Helga let out another exasperated sigh. "Not…well in a way Lita…"

"But you don't love me anymore?"

She chuckled, she was so warn out from all the feelings that Helga didn't even know what thoughts were right a wrong. "I can't hate my sister…not forever…as much as it pains me." Lita looked up, upset at the last part. "…I mean that in regards to Olga…not you"

"Oh."

Helga wiped some of the tears from Lita's face, pulling the hair away from her eyes and using her other arm to pull her in closer. "Lita…I can't even name five people that I truly love in this world, but you are one of them you hear me? I guess I just never really thought about it up until now…and for that I apologize…I should've been straight forward and expressed myself instead of hiding myself behind some…mask…"

"So you love me?"

"Of course I do…sis"

Lita let out a noise of enjoyment and squeezed Helga as tightly as she could, nuzzling herself in Helga's chest. "Then…then that's all that matters…"

"Then that's what matters" Helga patted Lita, who continued to cry "But Lita…you can't escape what happened…you have to be ready for what comes next…"

"You didn't call them did you?" Terra asked.

"No. No, of course not…I came with…I came with the intent to fight you alone…" but Helga realized her father was still in the car and if he was true about how he was feeling this last week, then maybe he was worried too she thought. "But she's not going to be able to run from this Terra, the police will come for her"

"Because of that bitch Arnold" Darren scoffed.

Helga turned to Darren, giving him the most menacing look she could muster, but he simply turned away from her eyes, which she took as a sign of his weakness. "So you're saying he should just deal with his pain and forget this ever happened? Real mature Darren"

"So you're saying Lita should go to jail?!"

"She won't go to jail…but she will be searched after and caught and instead of running and making things worse she should stay at home or here or something…and wait till they come"

"Will you stay?" Lita whispered.

"I'm sorry Lita…I need to make sure Arnold is okay…and I don't think I'm welcome here…but you can call me whenever, I'll keep my phone in my hand even when I sleep…"

"What if they don't let me call?"

"Then you ask one of your friends here to contact me when there is more information available so that I know how you are doing, I don't want to be kept in the dark about this Lita…" she turned to the other two in the room "I mean it, I want to be kept in the loop"

"Yeah whatever…" Darren stated.

"I'll…I'll see what I can do" Terra mentioned.

"Thank you" Helga said, both verbally and with her eyes. "Lita…I learned a long time ago that if your sister is in trouble…you help them, a wise kid told me that…and I'll be there if you need me and if you let me….but right now I've got to go. Please promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I won't…big sis" Lita replied.

"That's my girl…"

Lita continued to hide her face, but moved her arms from Helga's back up to her neck and slowly crept her head upward. Because of her height she had to move Helga's head down to her level, and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. "I…I love you" she cooed.

Helga swallowed hard, extremely awkward at the situation she was in but tried her best to hide it behind a small loving smile. "and I love you sis" She gave Lita a long kiss on the forehead, still cradling her friend tightly before letting go and walking down the hall.

Helga walked to Terra who hid her gaze, but she was persistent in staring her down as she passed. Darren meanwhile walked to Lita's side who was now pulling the blanket back onto her and said "Let's bring you downstairs".

Terra headed towards Lita, who trying to catch her breath while Helga took a quick look back before grabbing the door and closing it. Even as she took her time to pull it, none of the three looked at her, almost as if they didn't recognize she was leaving. After closing the door Helga found herself once again outside, staring down the street away from the house. She took a few deep breaths and cradled her face in between her hands, and then shook it a few times as if trying to get a sour thought from her head. She wasn't thinking though, and that was the problem. There was no fighting between what she considered her multiple personas, no anger, no fear no nothing. It was calm, and that was scary. She put her hands in her pockets and walked towards the car, thinking purely about the kiss she had just been a part of. It wasn't sexual, or romantic or anything to her...it was two mouths connecting.

As she opened the door Bob turned off the radio. "What the heck happened?"

"I got my answer…" Helga stated.

"Your answer? I thought you were here to kick somebodies ass?"

"I…I sorta got my ass handed to me Bob-o"

"I didn't see a fight…"

She gave her dad a look of disapproval. "Is that really what you're interested in? A cat fight?"

"NO! I mean…Sheesh. I'm just saying I didn't see you get hurt so I'm wondering what you mean…Crimney"

"It was a talk…that's it. And that's the way it should be…I'd rather not have the police riding down my throat either…"

"The police are gonna get involved eh? Someone really get hurt?"

"Yeah. Arnold Phillip Shortman"

"That kid? The Orphan who works at the market, he's annoying yeah but who'd wanna beat him up?"

"A girl in love."

"Ho Boy…you teenage girls are insane you realize, back in my day all that crazy wasn't around…maybe it's because of global warming or some shit I don't know…"

"I'm really not in a mood to make a demeaning comment right now Bob…but trust me the thoughts there…"

"hey, hey, hey little missy, do you not want a drive home?"

"Actually I'm not going home, I'm going to the Hospital…"

"The hospital…jeez…when'd you start looking at boys like that?"

"Younger then I'd care to mention Bob but it's not like that…I just want to see if he's okay"

"Is anyone else there with him?"

"His best friend"

"Does his friend drive?"

"Yeah, he's got a set of wheels dad I can make it home if you can…get me there"

"Alright, alright. But as of right now, this neighborhood is forbidden you hear me? I don't want the police snooping around my house okay?"

"I heard you loud and clear when you said that earlier this week"

"Yeah I'm a blowhard I get it. Now let's get you to the hospital and me to the bar, I've got a few bets to deal with after that game"

"Whatever tickles your fancy dad…and thanks" Helga once again this week so far out of her comfort zone she didn't care, tilted to her father and gave him the closest thing to a hug she could. Bob sat there with his brow raised, unsure of who had replaced his rough tough daughter with the loving girl in front of him, but deep down enjoying seeing her like this if even for a moment and patted her back.

* * *

The last few chapters have had a lot of discussion and feedback, but all of this was written before and In the heat of the moment I don think I could've given more of what some people wanted, more violence or more drama or more Helga, so I apologize if this wasn't the big fight scene you guys had all hoped it was.

The one thing though I want to mention is that while I used the word "Terra" to describe the person Arnold was stabbed by, that was merely his interpretation. It was a dark knight and she was hiding under a hood, a characteristic I'd like to think this shy girl Lila has, on top of the fact she wanted to stab him. It wasn't about Darren losing the fight, it was her desire to do it from the start. So yeah.

Next week is the final chapter and then the epilogue.

See you in Chapter 23: Hospital Blues


	23. Hospital Blues

So here is the finale of sorts. Not exactly explosions and gunfire and Robert Downey Jr but then again it's just supposed to enclose the arc. Enjoy.

* * *

Arriving at an intersection, Helga jumped out of her father's car and made her way towards the emergency ward at the hospital. Gerald was outside the doors and waved for her to come his way. "I didn't actually think you'd be waiting" she said.

"You called Phoebe, Phoebe calls me, I wait here like a good boyfriend should." He replied.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. You want some brownie points with me…"

A small chuckle escaped the tall boy. "You're a hard woman to please you know"

"It's a lot easier than you think bub"

"Mhmm…come on, I told him I was going to the washroom"

"You didn't tell him I was coming?"

Gerald headed through the door, inviting Helga to follow. "The dude's been thinking about you all week, then this shit happens and from what I can tell your more involved then he's willing to admit…so instead of letting this loom over my head too I'm going to cut the drama at the source"

"I'm not saying I'm innocent hair boy but…I didn't mea-"

Gerald stopped walking and put his hand up. "Stop. I get it, it's good. Just go see my best friend before he suffers anymore okay?"

She put her hands in the air in defence. "Okay…shutting up now"

Gerald let out a sign and continued walking "Just…shut up for now…when you see him then you can discuss all this junk going on…as for me, I'm going to wait outside and talk to Phoebe"

"Whatever floats your boat"

As the two continued through the numerous hallways, Gerald let out a snort. "you know I gotta admit, getting you to shut up like that…I've been waiting a long time to get the courage to say that sorta thing to your face" Before he could snort again though a powerful thump hit the side of his shoulder. He cringed in pain and turned to see the knuckle of a vengeful woman right up against his nose.

"I've been waiting to punch some one really hard these last few days. That wasn't even the start of what I've got in store if you say one more word to me geekbait" She roared.

Gerald swallowed hard and shook his head. He had his chance to shut Helga G. Pataki up, and for all of 15 seconds he had gained that silence. It was a small but meaningful victory. "Let's keep going…"

The two headed down a set of corridors as many patients and staff headed around them. Some were sick, some were injured and others looked as casual as they did but it didn't help Helga any. Nothing about this place made her feel any good, it was a place of death and disease and since the hospital no longer had a baby ward, not a whole lot came out of this place that was good…only survivors. Finally they found their way to one of the rooms, which inside featured a set of four beds at each corner with long curtains for privacy. At the back left corner was Arnold, looking off into the window with his curtain mostly open. He didn't even look in the direction of the door when it opened his mind was definitely wandering somewhere.

"Thinking about the busty nurses I hope" Gerald commented.

Arnold slowly turned his head, a small smile on his face. "Nothing that simple I as…Helga?"

"Hey football head…"she said softly. She reached out her arm, gesturing for him to meet her embrace but after a second pulled back and hid her hand on her chest.

"Hey there" he replied, putting his arm at the side of the bed near her.

She hid her gaze from him, a mix of doubt and disgust in her eyes after seeing how defenseless he looked in the bed. Finally she let her hand reach out and grab him. "I'm…I'm so sorry"

"Don't worry about it Helga, I don't blame you for any of this"

Gerald interrupted with a cough and pointed towards the door. "And with that I'm out of here. I'll be back in a good ten minutes or so…use it wisely…" he looked over towards the curtain. "And use this too in case you intend to get any bit freaky in here"

"Thanks Gerald that'll be all" Arnold noted. Gerald turned and headed for the exit, leaving Arnold to stare at Helga's hiding eyes. "What are you thinking?"

"That I almost threw everything away…"

"You didn't do anything of the sort Helga, I'm the one who's at fault."

Finally her eyes looked onto him. "Are you crazy? How can you getting stabbed by a lovesick girl be your fault?"

"Lovesick? Terra?"

"I know it looked that way, but It was Lita Arnold…You…you haven't spoke to the police yet have you?"

"No but they want to see me before the morning"

"Okay, that's good…she won't run Arnold"

"I don't know If I'll press charges but…It's a little late for me to let this slide you know…"

Helga tilted her head, her single brow raised. "Jesus. You'd actually play this off as if it was an accident or something?"

"Maybe…I've never really had a bad opinion of Lita…I mean I'm sorry to admit but I'm frustrated with how to feel about her now but…it just seems so weird…Lita the stabber…it doesn't fit"

"No it doesn't. She's special, but she's made a few bad choices" Helga replied, twiddling her thumbs "…Just like I have"

"Like Wednesday?"

"Wednesday?"

"It was a bad choice right, I sorta got the feeling that maybe you weren't too impressed with my attempts to woo you over, and I'm starting to think that I let my hormones get the better of me"

"So you think it was a mistake?"

"Yeah I do. If I was a stronger person then maybe I could've controlled myself and waited until I was lucky enough to get close to you before saying and doing the stuff I did…"

"Wait. Hold the phone. You're saying you lack self-control? For kissing me?"

"Something like that yeah"

"Arnold what you did was…I loved it…I wish I could relive that memory every day…if it wasn't for my messed up arm and well…my messed up everything then that would've been a dream come true"

"Helga you're joking me, I can't possibly be in your fantasy"

"Listen pal! This broad has wanted to make out with you her whole life! Don't you look at me like your just some stupid 'phase'!" Silenced filled the room, Helga turned to see the only other person with their curtain undone looking in her direction, it was what appeared to be a couple of some sort or maybe brother in sister but either way they were looking towards the fighting Teenagers. "Yeah I said it! I wanna kiss this lug here, you got a problem with that?!" they shook their heads and the man pulled the curtain to hide them.

Arnold let out a small chuckle. "There's the Helga I grew up with…"

"You know if it weren't for the fact I could get thrown out, I would almost think poking your stomach would be the kind of pain you need to realize just how serious I am football head!"

"Sorry Helga" he said, sitting up and inviting Helga to sit on the bed. "I don't think it's in you to be that mean to me"

She sighed and fell to the bed "Your right Arnold…I don't have it in me to hurt you anymore then I have"

"You didn't hurt me"

"Yeah I did. Gerald sorta…he mentioned you were thinking about me a lot, and I just sorta realized like an hour ago that maybe…maybe I was wrong. Maybe I don't need to be strong enough to prove I can be with you, maybe I just need to be strong enough to admit I need you"

"I think your plenty strong Helga"

"But I'm not Arnold, I mean I use to think it was corny when in cartoons and movies and junk that the good guys would always depend on their friends and loved ones to make them strong enough to win, so I tried to distance myself from you to make myself strong enough on my own…but I almost lost you tonight, and I realize that I'll never be strong enough to live without you…I probably would've gone to San Lorenzo if you didn't come back when you did…"

"I would've liked that Helga, my parents would've liked to get to know you, and I'd like to get to know you too. That soft blue eyed girl who slept like an angel in my arms just a few days ago…"

"Quit all the mushy stuff Arnold, if you keep pressing your luck like that you might just turn me into a puddle…"

"Wow that sounds so much unlike you I'm inclined to believe your some sort of an alternate Helga…"

"An alternate Helga? Like a…Nega Helga?"

Arnold tried to laugh, even though with his stitches he wasn't supposed. "Yeah. I guess so…"

"Like Gloria or something from P.S 118? But more like me, maybe she'd be called Hilga or something"

Arnold let out a small chuckle at that, thinking back to an eerie dream he had as a child when he imagined an opposite Helga who in the dream was in fact named Hilga. "That…that's just creepy"

"What is?"

"Nothing, maybe I'm just a little dumber than I thought is all…"

"Why?"

"Because I guess I always knew you had a soft side, It just took me close to fourteen years to figure it out and then another few years to actually say something to you about it…"

"Well it's good to see your finally ready to embrace the reality of it Arnold, WELCOME TO PLANET CRAZY"

"Maybe you're a little crazy, but I like the crazy" He said scotching up to her and grabbing her hand.

"There's a lot of crazy in me Arnold, I don't think you can handle it"

"And you said yourself you don't think you can handle me being at a distance after tonight…so just accept it Helga. I'm bound to figure you out it's only a matter of time"

"You sure you want to get on board this crazy train?"

"All aboard"

"Alright stud, if you're going to keep shooting me those bad one liners…I'll have to give you some credit" She leaned in, and kissed his temple and then rested her forehead against his.

"Kissing me better?"

"If you want"

"It worked when I was a kid, might as well try it now"

"Are you sure about this Arnold?"

"I'm always going to chase after you Helga"

"That's creepy bucko"

"Yeah…it sounded better in my head"

"Don't worry creeper, that's just the way I'd do it...follow you to the ends of the earth"

Helga and Arnold let out a small chuckle, though he didn't realize it she'd been following him around corners, writing poetry about him and even owned a small collection of things she referred to as her 'Arnold shrine' when she was a kid, nothing he could say was going to creep her off. As the two finally fell to silence, they moved down slightly and kissed once again. Nothing was going to stop this 'crazy train' from starting up.

"Aw man, what did I just walk into" Gerald scoffed.

Helga and Arnold pushed away from each other and adjusted their now messed up hair. Arnold cleared his throat and turned to Helga, who was blushing wildly and trying to hold back a smirk. He turned to his annoyed friend, who was part way through the curtains with an 'are you serious' look on his smug face. "Way to kill the mood Gerald"

Gerald let out a small noise, somewhere between a breath and a snort and shook his head. "I bet that's not all I killed"

Upon hearing this Helga jumped off the bed and stood beside Gerald. Arnold moved his jaw around a little and shook his head slightly at the idea his friend was getting at. "Once again, way to kill the mood Gerald"

"All the times you've interrupted me and Phoebe, yeah I'm pretty sure I get at least one or two times of taking the crown of party pooper. It's okay though man, I've gotta catch my ride home in a few minutes, and I know he won't wait up if I take too long…so you two can enjoy the rest of this…" he took a look around, fiddling with his goatee as he struggled to find the right words to use. "This…section…to yourselves"

"Wait you don't have the car?" Helga asked.

"Sorry lady, I'm fresh out of debts to call in about that. Unless you want to find out about the hottest stories about our school you know there's a man I can call for that, but as for a ride I'm just as screwed I assume…as you are. Plus I don't know how long they'll let us stay or whatever"

"Arnold…" Helga sighed.

"Helga, its okay if you need to get going then you need to get going…" Arnold said.

"I don't want to go though, the last time I left you, you were stabbed…If I leave now the next time I see you, you might be missing an arm or worse…"

"I promise I won't let anyone cut off any of my limbs…"

"Well seeing as how you got your ass kicked by a girl…no offense…I doubt that you could defend yourself from someone with a machete…"

"Ouch…but okay"

"Alright I gotta head downstairs" Gerald began. "Helga if you want a ride up to our side of the city then I can do what I can, but you gotta get your butt outside in the next five minutes"

"Just my luck…I spend all week going around down and now I don't even have enough money for the bus"

"Too bad we weren't meeting under better circumstances Helga, I basically live off of the spare change I make working at the store…"

"stealing all the quarters I see football head…" she joked, crossing her eyes and putting a playful scowl on. She thought about Arnold for a brief moment doing everything he could to find the little silver coins, checking garbage cans, stealing buggies, checking under the aisles. Then it suddenly hit her. "No way" she said aloud. She put her hand down her check pocket to discover another quarter.

"Well that's quiet the draw you got there Helga, what else you got in those magic pants?"

"You'll have to discover that for yourself paste for brains."

"Ouch. I haven't heard that in a long time"

"Yeah well, I thought about changing it up a little bit…besides I wouldn't have found this little rascal if it weren't for you and Terra…"

"What do you mean?"

"When I came to your store last weekend…I was hiding in one of the aisles by myself and this thing rolls up to my foot, came from under the shelving unit. Must've been a customers or something"

Arnold's jaw dropped. "Right after you saw me? Like just a few minutes after?" Helga raised her brow and nodded. "Helga…actually I'm pretty sure that's mine"

Helga gave Arnold a familiar "are you serious look" and held out the quarter. "If you really want it back now is the time"

"No, no I mean…its yours no problem…I just think it's funny that the quarter I was hoping would give me good luck lands in your hands. What side did it land on?"

"I couldn't tell you, I mean it was just a quarter…didn't really think about it"

"Ah well...I think that despite the few issues that came up this week, I'm still feeling a little lucky…so I guess that means we've got some time together…?"

"Yeah…and not to sound sexual or anything because once again this really isn't well…there are a lot of things wrong with…I don't….can I just restart?" Arnold shook his head in reply to her. "If you really feel that way, that you're lucky despite all that then…I'll try to keep the luck coming Football head…"

A smile formed across Arnold's face as he pulled Helga in for another kiss. This time it wasn't an experiment, it wasn't a passionate one, it was just two of them being as close as they could. Remembering the feeling as vivid as they could as if it was their last, though neither of them hoped that was the case. After a moment though Arnold was pushed against the bed by Helga, and a pain formed in his chest. He bit his lip hard, he didn't want to show how much it really hurt. "Uhmm…Hi?" He groaned.

"AND THAT'S HOW IT FEELS BUSTER!" Helga roared.

"Helga…calm…ughh…calm down" Arnold replied.

"Oh…sorry…but…Ha" She whispered.

"Ha?"

"That's what it feels like to be in the middle of a passionate kiss and then suddenly be tossed away bucko" Helga growled.

"What…why…Okay?"

"Remember years ago? We kissed on top of a building? It wasn't our first kiss, not counting CPR and such…but I mean" Helga looked into Arnold's eyes. He was extremely confused. "…okay you do remember right?" She asked half heartedly. In two minutes flat she had ruined her relationship with Arnold.

"F…FTi?"

"Uh…yeah"

"So I basically say I want to be in a relationship with you…and you decide to punish me?"

"Kinda. Sorta. Maybe?" She said all at once.

"Ugh…get over here paste for brains!" Arnold said pulling Helga in close again for a kiss. He tried to smooch her as hard as he could as she scrambled to figure out what was going on, part of her wanted to hit him for calling her that and another part wanted to jump on his lap. This relationship was going to be complicated.

* * *

So there is one more chapter aka the epilogue coming up soon, but don't expect too too much. Thank you guys for almost 5500 views so far and all the wonderful comments, subscribers and favourites that have come with this. I appreciate you all.

See you next week for the epilogue "The show"


	24. Epilogue: The Show

The doors flung open, letting Arnold head inside the massive room. It was fairly and annoyingly chilly, the store had finally recognized the need for heavy air conditioning but the weather was nowhere near as hot as it was a month ago. He took a few steps inside and looked around to find familiar faces but he'd have to head deeper into the store to find anyone worth talking to. His wounds were bothering him, but he was trying to get over that pain, he no longer wanted to have to borrow one of his grandpa's canes to walk around, especially inside the store where his friends could recognize him. He made his way through the store, checking to see the cashiers and noticed Lila who was busy helping some people but saw Arnold and let out a huge smile and wave. Arnold put his hand out as a gesture, but wasn't really able to shake around like she was doing. She blew him a faint kiss which he caught and nodded too before heading down his familiar aisle. Now standing in the soda aisle, Arnold looked from a distance at the spot he was a month ago when he first dropped that 'lucky' quarter. He smiled a little bit, wondering how he must've looked to be fussing over a little thing like that before hearing the sound of a hard working individual.

"Excuse me hard working employ" Arnold began, adding a terrible accent to his voice. "Could you show me where the condoms are sir?"

Leo turned to face the young man, first with a confused look and then an annoyed one. "Oh brother, look what the cat dragged in"

"What no hug?"

"Yeah sure further injure the vacationing injured employee and possibly cost me my job"

"I wouldn't really call this a vacation" Arnold commented "it's just me trying to get back into the swing of things…but I thought I'd come by and give you guys an update you know?"

"Aw well thanks for showing us how much you miss us"

Arnold patted the shoulder of Leo. "Of course I miss you Leo, you are a friend of mine no matter what you want to say about it"

"Yeah, yeah. All that mushy junk and crap and save it for your girlfriend"

"Ahh…" a girl blissfully sighed. "A man after my own heart"

Arnold turned to see Helga behind him, against the wall with a lovesick look on her face and her arm pressed against her forehead. "I didn't realize you were into older guys Helga"

"Sorry football head you can't get rid of me that easily, I'm always going after the young guys…I'm one of those cougars you know"

"Remind me to get the water spray then" Leo commented.

"Damn" Arnold said, snapping his fingers. "I was going to use that first"

"Aw shucks" Helga replied. "So you're Leo I guess?"

"Yes ma'am. Are you the lucky lady?"

"Actually he calls me lady luck…but I don't think it'll stick"

"Hey if it fits it fits…"

"Yeah, yeah…listen Arnold my mom is just a few aisles down but since you took your sweet ass time getting here, she's almost done. If you want a ride then we'll have to pick up the pace"

Arnold nodded his head. "I really appreciate the ride, my stitches are acting up again"

"Ugh." Helga growled. She put her hands up, gesturing the desire to squeeze his neck. "Did you really have to try and come here just to prove your getting better? You'll never make it through the first week of school if you don't rest up!"

"I'm not trying to prove a point, I'm just trying to get stronger and maybe…get to see you"

Helga let out a small blush. She still had to get used to the comments he was making like that, which easily made all her issues melt away. "Aw you handsome rogue you…Well we've got a few hours before the four of us head to the movies, so I want to see you getting some sleep okay?"

"I think you enjoy the idea of me sleeping a little too much…"

"You let me sleep once, and commented on how great it was to watch me sleep, now it's time for my pay-per-view event!"

"Hey lovebirds, I gotta head back to work. If you want Arnold, the big guy is in the back room right now…talk to him if you want" Leo mentioned.

"Thanks Leo, and I'll see you again in the next few weeks I promise"

"Take your time getting better short stop and I'll talk to you soon"

Leo took his cart filled with empty cardboard and headed down the end of the aisle, leaving Helga and Arnold staring at each other for a moment. "You look great today Helga"

Helga groaned and lightly slammed her fist into his shoulder. "Cut it out would ya? I get to see you like once a week since you were in the hospital, on top of the fact I'm barely allowed to smother you because of your injuries and you won't even wait till we get away from CERTAIN PEOPLE before flirting with me? Honestly Football head it's almost like you're proud to be with me"

"I get to kiss the strongest, toughest, most imaginative girl in all of Hillwood, I think that beyond a doubt I'm proud to be with you and I'm not about to let you live that down" he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "I know we've got a long way to go to make this work, but as long as you do your best to open your heart and it'll be alright"

Helga couldn't stop herself as she began to get a little teary eyed, to hear something like that from him was something she'd only dreamed about. She pressed her hand overtop the hand he had on her face and nuzzled it for a moment, forgetting about everything that was around them. He let a soft smile form on his face, although he didn't understand the extent of how she was feeling. He was enjoyed the moment he was having with her and hoped that his bond with Helga evolved into more than just a teenager romance and became something special, like that of his mom and dad, even though that was scary to him. After a moment a customer went by the two, and Helga slowly returned to normal. She whipped her face with her other hand and put Arnold's hand back down, still holding it. The two went over to the aisle Miriam was in, who had a dance in her step with the music she was listening to. Helga had borrowed Arnold's music player, as she didn't own one herself but somehow it found its way to Miriam. Arnold giggled a little bit as Miriam continued to bounce from left to right but it simply annoyed and embarrassed Helga to the point where she pulled the headphones off of her.

"Aw Helga I wanted to listen to more of those tracks…" Miriam moaned.

"Sorry Miriam, this isn't even mine it's my friend's"

"That short fellow Arn…oh Hi Arnold didn't see you there…how are you feeling?" Miriam asked.

"I'm doing fine, just a little pain here and there" he replied.

"Yeah he's coming over to the house today, we've got some school prep to…figure out and stuff" Helga stated.

"Alright well your father is ordering in tonight, be sure to let him know you've got a guest over" Miriam turned away from the duo and continued moving down the said.

"I'll tell him" Helga replied, following behind her mother with Arnold. "You going out?"

Miriam continued to look at the items slowly going by her, not focusing on her daughter. "Some old friends are coming into the city; I thought we'd have a girl's night out"

"Don't get too plastered mom"

"Oh dear It'll be fine" Miriam commented, turning to the duo. "Unlike your old friends…" she began, wagging her finger out at Helga "I don't do anything stupid when I'm drunk"

Helga groaned and scowled. "She wasn't drunk mom, she just wasn't herself…please don't talk about her that way"

Miriam let out a semi disappointed groan and continued moving the cart. "Oh come on now Helga…it's okay to joke about it…better than continuing the drama…"

"I guess she has a point Helga" Arnold said. Helga turned her scowl over to him. "Em…did you enjoy the music Mrs. Pataki?"

Miriam nodded. "That's a wide variety of styles you have their Arnold, I enjoyed most of it"

"And you're okay with it Helga?"

"Yeah, some of it's actually pretty nice…there's this one song I really like" she noted, putting the earphones on and trying to find the song. Arnold grabbed the other ear piece and listened alongside Helga as the track started up.

The two looked at each other, almost signalling with their eyes a sign of affection and love while Miriam was unaware of what was going on. Arnold started to snap his fingers and shut his eyes, while Helga looked down the Aisle and saw something of interest. "Hey Arnold?" she asked…but he was elsewhere, "Arnold?" she asked again. "Hey Arnold" this time she searched his eyes trying to get him to realize she was there. Instead he was busy thinking about the future, It was so different, being so close to a person let alone a girl, let alone Helga. "Arnold…? Arnold!" finally he was coming to and blinked several times. "Arnoldddddd" she let out, waving her arm in his face. Finally he shook his head and looked back at Helga, who was pointing to the end of aisle. He turned and saw his managers talking amongst themselves, unaware Arnold was there. Arnold turned back to Helga and tried to say something, but she cuffed his mouth with her hand. She let out a wicked smile, and then a scowl. "MOVE IT FOOTBALL HEAD!" she roared, pushing him in the direction of the trio of managers.

His ear piece fell out and he rubbed his ear, before smiling at her and heading down the aisle, leaving Helga to the music. She put the other ear piece in and watched as Arnold started his conversation. The conversation was too far away for her to hear it, and the music was pretty loud as well so she simply enjoyed viewing him from afar, just like old times. Things were changing for the two, Arnold had finally come to terms with how much he wanted to be near Helga, and she was starting to let him in. She sighed blissfully as her mom continued shopping, somehow unable to hear the loudness of her daughter's sound. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be, all they needed was each other just like anyone else in the world. True it wouldn't always be so simple, but that's just how the story of Helga and Arnold goes…that's just how anybody's story goes, whether you're a part of it, or simply part of the audience; their show wasn't about to stop yet.

The End.

* * *

To those that love me, to those that hate me, to those who pester me for new chapters and to those who sit back silently. Thank you for reading my little story. I know the grammar had it's moments of being ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE, but all in I all I hope it was worth the read. I've gotten a lot of feedback, most of it good or helpful but it was one of my favourite things about this whole thing. 6000 views later here I am. Happy to have done it all. I'm sorry the epilogue took so long, I wondered if I wanted to put the story on hiatus because well...I had a sequel in mind but I wouldn't dare post stuff until I was at least half way done, I know of many who are on hold because stories were posted too often you know?

Regardless thank you all. The song and the title of this story is "Open your Heart" a reference to both the Crush 40 song and the song from .Hack:/SIGN.

Love to all of you.

- James


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